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WWE 2005: Raising the Bar.

79K views 287 replies 39 participants last post by  Wolf Beast 
#1 · (Edited)
Monday Night Raw roster as of August 1st 2005

Batista- Face
Triple H- Heel
Muhammad Hassan- Heel
Shawn Michaels- Face
Chris Jericho- Face
Edge- Heel
Christian- Heel
Mr.Kennedy- Tweener
Kane- Heel
Big Show- Face
Shelton Benjamin- Face
The Great Khali-Heel
Sonjay Dutt-Heel
Goldust- Face
Mark Jindrak- Heel
Doug Basham- Face
Danny Basham-Face
William Regal- Heel
Eugene- Face
Bubba Ray Dudley- Face
D-Von Dudley-Face
Daivari-Heel
Charlie Haas- Face
Ken Doane- Heel
Nick Nemeth- Heel
Rosey- Face
Val Venis- Face
The Heart Throbs- Heel
Viscera- Face
Rob Conway- Heel
Maven- Heel
Simon Dean- Heel
Trevor Murdoch- Heel

Divas​
Trish Stratus- Face
Lita- Face
Victoria- Heel
Stacy Keibler- Face
Torrie Wilson- Face
Christy Hemme- Face
Ashley Massaro- Face
Molly Holly- Heel

Tag teams/Stables/Alliances
Dudley Boyz: Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley
Basham Brothers: Doug and Danny Basham
The Heart Throbs
Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas; The World's Greatest Tag Team
The Arabian Entity: Muhammad Hassan, Daivari, The Great Khali and Sonjay Dutt

Mark Jindrak and William Regal
Val Venis and Viscera
Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth: The Platform to Perfection
Eugene and Goldust

Others​
Jim Ross- Commentator
Jonathan Coachman- Commentator
Todd Grisham- Backstage interviewer
Maria- Backstage Interviewer
Lilian Garcia- Ring announcer
Eric Bischoff- General Manager

Friday Night Smackdown roster as of May 2nd 2005

John Cena- Face
John Bradshaw Layfield- Heel
The Undertaker- Face
Kurt Angle- Heel
Rey Mysterio- Face
Booker T- Face
Randy Orton- Heel
Rob Van Dam- Face
Carlito- Heel
Matt Hardy-Face
Orlando Jordan- Heel
Rhyno- Heel
Bobby Lashley-Face
Joey Mercury- Heel
Johnny Nitro-Heel
Chris Masters-Heel
Paul London- Face
Brian Kendrick- Face
Paul Burchill- Heel
Rene Dupree- Heel
Kenzo Suzuki- Heel
Shad Gaspard- Face
JTG- Face
Chavo Guerrero- Heel
Gregory Helms- Heel
Luther Reigns- Heel
Jamie Noble-Heel
Kid Kash- Heel
Heidenreich- Face
Tajiri-Heel
Snitsky- Heel
Sylvain Grenier- Heel
Shannon Moore- Face
Spike Dudley- Face
Scotty 2 Hotty- Face
Super Crazy- Face
Psicosis-Face
Billy Kidman- Face
Hardcore Holly- Face

Tag teams/Stables/Alliances
The Mexicools: Psicosis and Super Crazy
MNM: Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro and Melina
Cryme Tyme: Shad Gaspard and JTG
Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero
Paul London and Brian Kendrick
The Pitbulls: Jamie Noble and Kid Kash
RVD and Rey Mysterio
Rene Dupree and Kenzo Suzuki
Shannon Moore and Spike Dudley

Others​
Michael Cole- Commentator
Tazz- Commentator
Tony Chimel- Ring announcer
Josh Matthews- Backstage interviewer
Teddy Long- General Manager​


Current champions​

WWE Champion: John Cena. Defeated JBL at Wrestlemania, April 3rd 2005.

World Heavyweight Champion: Batista. Defeated Triple H at Wrestlemania, April 3rd 2005.

Intercontinental champion: Shelton Benjamin. Defeated Muhammad Hassan at Summerslam, August 21st 2005.

United States Champion: Matt Hardy. Defeated Orlando Jordan at The Great American Bash, July 24th 2005.

World Tag team Champions: The Dudley Boyz. Defeated William Regal and Tajiri at Backlash, May 1st 2005.

WWE Tag team Champions: MNM. Defeated Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio at Judgment Day, May 22nd 2005.

WWE Womens Champion: Victoria Defeated Trish Stratus at Vengeance, 26th June 2005.

WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Gregory Helms. Defeated Paul London at The Great American Bash, July 24th 2005.​
 
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#153 ·
SmackDown Review​

A real solid opening here, with a rather definitive shift in Cena’s attitude and demeanour . And you very much got across the point with regards to Cena’s annoyance at what’s been said about him recently. I didn’t think Cena calling Angle ‘champ’ was warranted, or made a whole lot of sense either, but that’s only a small thing. As for Angle, again it was all fine, the calling of Cena on his words and claims was a nice contrast, as was Angle pointing out that he and Cena have yet to face one on one. Typical heelish stuff from Kurt, and I always prefer to see a heel actually speak with logic and facts to back up his argument. I perhaps felt that things ended rather suddenly, I’d have liked one more line or two from both men after the “You’re on!” comment, but really, for an opening that sets up a huge SummerSlam match, this was pretty much spot on.

Definitely the right choice to reinvent Helms. Gregory > Hurricane by a mile. While it was always a cert that he would win, I was surprised to read how much of the action Kendrick got. Certainly a lot of near falls that Helms had to survive, and I’d have thought Helms would have dominated. But yeah, Helms got the win, rather cleanly, so again, no complaints here. Interesting to see how Helms and Chavo continue to develop as a partnership.

While the intrigue and mystery of this segment was certainly interesting, I’m rather taken aback at how vocal Van Dam was. Obviously tension is starting to build between Van Dam and Mysterio, but for ‘RVD’ to be in such disbelief is really rather startling. I’d be amazed if you took Van Dam heel, as I don’t think I’ve seen that in these parts before, so while I think it’d be a risk, it’d certainly be fascinating to read. But yeah, looking purely at this segment, it was certainly a strong character shown from Van Dam, but just who will be revealed as MNM’s mystery man?

Lashley beating JBL’s lackey is the obvious booking deicison, and Lashley looked rather strong in doing so. The post match action is what matters though, and again, it was a smart decision to have ‘JBL’ garner some heat with a beatdown. Not really a whole lot say on all this, it was all logical and nicely written. I’m gonna assume Lashley/’JBL’ is being built up for a SummerSlam showdown?

:lmao what on earth... that was actually pretty funny. I’m not a big fan of Cryme Tyme, I never really saw any appeal in either guy as wrestlers, but hopefully a few more comedy promos and I’ll be interested in your version of them. Certainly a good one right here (Y)

I’m always a fan of these kinda impromptu tag matches, and it was nicely brought about with Hardy looking pretty good prior to the interruptions. And of course, it’s trademark Teddy to make these types of decisions. As for the tag team match, the result surprised me, as I thought that as the victim of the attack, Matt would get revenge by leading his team to victory. But then again, it’s a smart booking decision to give ‘Lito the win, and I’m sure this puts him firmly in place for a shot at Hardy and the gold. So again no real complaints, it was all set up and executed well, and again it made sense for moving forward. The midcard on SmackDown is certainly interesting given these four are playing such a major part in it.

Very strong promo here from ‘JBL’, you had the character down pretty well. I certainly can’t see him anywhere near the WWE Championship any time soon, but I definitely think having Lashley go over against him would do wonders for Lashley’s career. But yeah, promo was spot on, all the required ‘JBL’-isms were there, nothing to complain about here.

Wow, how intriguing was this? Van Dam’s character had certainly mellowed from earlier, but I guess the intrigue and mystery stepped up a notch, so in that regards this worked. But yeah, I’d be more careful with the dropping of Van Dam’s character. It was perhaps too much too soon, I’d have wanted a bit more anger from him here to fully represent his feelings from earlier.

Solid win for the Pitbulls, and the match seemed to be pretty solid. The results is perhaps a tad surprising though, as the Mexicools could have used the win to position themselves better for a shot at MNM given the fact it seems Mysterio and Van Dam’s chance has came and went. But looking at this match for what it was, the action was fine and I’m always a fan of the tiger driver. (Y)

Ha, what a dickish thing for Angle to do. Set against him leaving the ring earlier, this is a beautiful bit of booking. Wasn’t particularly brutal or anything, but it just fit so well given what we seen earlier in the night. Not a whole lot to comment on, but it was a small thing that just set off the night’s progression of the feud.

It’s now that I’ve read the main event that I realise that the action in the show was perhaps lacking a tad tonight. Undertaker/Masters isn’t really a main event match, and the result was never in doubt. Although I’m glad my previous comments regarding giving Masters a strong performance came through, as he didn’t look any worse for wear for the defeat. As for the post match, Orton definitely needed to get one up on Taker, so I’m glad he did. It was all set up very nicely, another smart booking decision that sets Orton up for victory in the big rematch imo.

Overall, a very solid show. There was nothing spectacular or anything that stood out in particular, it was all just very smart, and there’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever. Sometimes you just need to do the smart thing and book by the numbers to advance feuds, and that’s what this was. Maybe there was too many promos and not enough action, but overall, it was a fine show that kept you ticking along nicely towards SummerSlam. Can’t fault it man, aside from the few things I pointed out, so good job, and I’ll be back to read Raw. :)
 
#154 ·
WWE Monday Night Raw Preview- 8/5/05- New Haven, Connecticut

There are just TWO more editions of Monday Night Raw until the biggest party of the summer comes a calling, Summerslam!! Tonight the stars of Raw head to Connecticut with a HUGE main event in store!

Last week saw the return to Raw of Ric Flair as the Nature Boy came to the aid of his long time friend Arn Anderson. Double A was defeated by Christian and was set to be dealt a devastating post match ambush only for Flair to come down and even the odds, sending a message to Captain Charisma. Tonight he will look to do the exact same thing as he steps into the ring on Raw for potentially the last time where he will take on one of Christian’s long time friends, the current Money in the Bank holder, Edge. Edge has had issues of his own lately with Y2J Chris Jericho, including a backstage brawl that set Raw alight last week. Who will walk out of Connecticut the victor in this mammoth showdown? And what role if any will their respective rivals play in the outcome?

Also tonight we have learned that Eric Bischoff will publicly address Shawn Michaels following the Showstopper’s actions last week. The General Manager’s Personal Employee called out the World Champion last week as both men laid their feelings toward one another out on the table. As it looked like the two were set to come to blows, out came the number one contender Kane only for Michaels to shockingly deliver some Sweet Chin Music to the Big Red Machine. Eric Bischoff will certainly not have taken kindly to that and will kick off the show with punishment surely in mind. Will Michaels have to accept his fate? Will the champion and challenger play their parts in this ongoing saga?

Another big time match has been signed for this week as the entire Arabian Entity will team up to take on the World’s Greatest Tag Team and the World Tag Team Champions, The Dudley Boyz in eight man tag team action. This kind of match will no doubt help the Dudleyz as well as Sonjay Dutt and Daivari for what’s in store come Summerslam but what will this do for Muhammad Hassan and Shelton Benjamin as we draw ever closer to their Intercontinental title showdown? It’s certainly a chance for Benjamin but also for his partner Charlie Haas who will no doubt wanna impress Shelton and prove why they should be chasing the Dudleyz gold and not Hassan’s.

The Basham Brothers will also be in action as they taken on the Platform to Perfection. These two teams will be involved alongside the Dudleyz and the Entity at Summerslam with tonight being the perfect chance to make their mark. Who will make the most of this opportunity here in New Haven?

Plus, after an impressive debut last week Mr.Kennedy will once again look to prove why he is the ‘Game Changer’ of the WWE. Will Kennedy make his mark once more? Or is the arrogant Wisconsin resident simply a one hit wonder?

Find out all this and more LIVE on Monday Night Raw!!


Confirmed for tonight’s show:

Eric Bischoff will address Shawn Michaels;

Edge vs. Ric Flair

The Arabian Entity vs. The World’s Greatest Tag Team and The Dudley Boyz

The Basham Brothers vs. The Platform to Perfection

Plus;

Mr.Kennedy will be in action
!​


Massive thanks to TWG, JamJam and iMac for your Smackdown reviews, greatly appreciated. Show should be up end of the week or so.
 
#155 · (Edited)

WWE Monday Night Raw- 8/8/05- New Haven, Connecticut​

We kick off the show with a video package, highlighting two weeks ago when Shawn Michaels shockingly delivered some Sweet Chin Music to Batista. We then fast forward to last week and the hyped showdown between the Animal and the Special Guest Referee for his title defence against Kane, Shawn Michaels. We get a few lines from the promo and HBK’s reasoning for his SCM on the champion before Batista makes his way down and these two get set to go at it before BOOM, Kane makes his way down and the Big Red Machine goes to blows with Batista, HBK an onlooker as Kane looks set to do some damage but BANG! Michaels delivers Sweet Chin Music to Kane. The package ends with HBK telling Batista he was ‘this close’ and ‘I coulda Dave, I coulda’ with HBK and Tista staring down one another.

We then go to the opening video but no pyro this week as instead we get silence as we head into the arena before…

‘I’m Back’​

It’s rousing heat as Raw’s General Manager makes his way out, Eric Bischoff not looking to be in a very pleasant mood here this evening.

Jim Ross: Welcome ladies and gentleman to Monday Night Raw, Jim Ross joined as ever by Jonathan Coachman and we are kicking things off with the boss!!

The Coach: And he don’t look in too good a mood J.R but I don’t blame him. What Shawn Michaels did last week to Kane, what he didn’t do to Batista, he let down our General Manager last week J.R, he went against our General Manager and I damn sure hope Eric Bischoff makes him pay.

Jim Ross: Shawn Michaels stood up for himself last week and if that’s something to be punished for then that just isn’t right Coach, you and I both know it. Shawn Michaels shouldn’t have to be put in the positions he’s been put in and at Summerslam he needs to call it down the middle, NOT do Eric Bischoff’s dirty work.

The Coach: Woah, woah, woah cowboy, slow down there. Shawn Michaels is Eric Bischoff’s ‘Personal Employee’. He works specifically for that man there and if he goes against him, if he goes against his wishes then he loses his job, he loses everything. Eric Bischoff can click his fingers and Shawn Michaels had better come calling.

Bischoff now has a mic, scowling as the crowd continue to boo the mischievous GM here
.

Eric Bischoff: Alright let me cut to the chase here tonight because quite frankly I’m not in the mood. Last week Shawn Mich-

‘You Suck’, ‘You Suck’

Eric Bischoff: Last week Shawn Michaels came down to this ring with my permis-

‘You Suck’ chants continue and stop the GM in his tracks with Bischoff now looking seriously pissed off.

Eric Bischoff: You people…you people need to SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!! I can have each and every single one of you REMOVED FROM THIS ARENA!! Oh I can make it happen and there ain’t a DAMN THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!!

Huge heat for Bischoff here who calms himself down now.

Eric Bischoff: So where was I? Last week Shawn Michaels came down to this ring with my permission to confront Dave Batista. Now two weeks ago Shawn Michaels made his first real step towards the Eric Bischoff way, he made that step when he delivered some Sweet Chin Music to Batista.

Boos for that.

Eric Bischoff: When that happened I thought Shawn had taken that first step forward but last week when he came down to this ring to face up to Batista, he took two steps back. I held out hope, really I did. When Shawn had finished his little speech, Batista walked down that ramp and it looked like it was gonna happen, it looked like Shawn was gonna kick Batista’s teeth down his throat again.

Bischoff looks bitterly disappointed here.

Eric Bischoff: But then? Then Kane came down and I thought wow, this is about to get real interesting. Shawn Michaels, a man I despise, a man who has put me through sheer HELL the last few months was gonna join forces with this…this monster Kane. They were gonna dismantle another guy who has tried to take it to me, who has tried to bully his own boss, they were gonna dismantle Batista. Two on one, Batista was about to get his ass kicked all over Detroit, he wasn’t even gonna make it to Summerslam but uh, that, that didn’t happen did it?

Bischoff shakes his head in disappointment.

Eric Bischoff: No instead Kane and Batista go at it while Shawn just…he just stands there. Shawn just stands there, watching, not doing anything at all. I was sitting backstage watching and I was waiting, willing, urging Shawn on to do the right thing and then, then he finally makes his move, the move I’d been waiting for, the move we’d all been waiting for, he stands back, takes one step, Sweet Chin Music to…to…to Kane? To Kane?

Pop for that.

Eric Bischoff: That was NOT part of the plan. Shawn knew, he knew all too well that he was under NO circumstances to do anything to Kane, his only objective last week was to tell Dave Batista how it is and when all was said and done, kick his teeth down his throat... one more time. So congratulations Shawn, really, you went against my wishes, you went against my demands and you know as your boss, with you being my ‘Personal Employee’ and all, you're really startin' to push me now.

Bischoff now sblacks a little.

Eric Bischoff: So Shawn, how about you come on down to this ring and just like last week, we do the ‘right thing’?

Bischoff plays his hand very sarcastically before waiting for the arrival of the Showstopper.

Nothing…


‘I Walk Alone’​

It’s a surprised reaction that comes across the face of Eric Bischoff and it’s a surprising reaction from the crowd also which soon turns into a nice pop as the Animal, the World Champion, Batista heads down to the ring, suited and booted, title draped over his shoulder, an angry look on his face as he eyes up the GM.

Jim Ross: Well that is NOT Shawn Michaels, that is the World Heavyweight Champion Batista and Coach I don’t think either he or Eric Bischoff are gonna happy seeing each other here tonight.

The Coach: You’re damn right they’re not, I know Eric Bischoff was wanting Shawn Michaels but J.R, I think Batista wants the same thing too! HBK’s bitten off more than he can chew, he’s got the boss, he’s got the Animal and he’s got the Big Red Machine all on his tail, if I were Shawn Michaels I’d be a worried man right about now.

Batista takes a mic with Bischoff still scowling, looking unhappy with the arrival of the Animal on the scene.

Eric Bischoff: What the hell are you doing out here huh? I don’t need you down here, I don’t want you down here. I asked for Shawn Mi…

Batista: Hold on just a second there Eric. I know, I know, I’m not Shawn Michaels, I’m not who you wanted to see but for the very first time I actually want the same thing that you do and that’s why I’m down here.

Bischoff looks a little confused.

Batista: I want Shawn Michaels and I want him tonight.

Nice pop for that.

Eric Bischoff: You want Shawn Michaels, I want Shawn Michaels, hell I’m sure Kane probably wants Shawn Michaels too but I can’t just give everybody what they want. My priority around here is to make sure this show runs smoothly, to make sure this show runs the way I want it to run and while you have that World Title, that just ain’t gonna happen.

Batista laughs to himself as the crowd boos.

Eric Bischoff: I need that World Title on somebody who understands the Eric Bischoff way, somebody who doesn’t go against me, somebody who’s their own man and that is most definitely not you. At Summerslam I need you to lose that World title and I need Kane to win that World title.

More boos for the GM’s clear bias here.

Eric Bischoff: And as much as I can’t stand Shawn Michaels, as much crap as he’s put me through including last week, I know, I know that he can play a huge role in that dream becoming reality.

Batista: Look I get it, you don’t want me holding this championship. You don’t want me anywhere near this championship but Eric, you don’t quite get it do you? No matter what you throw in my way, no matter how much you try and keep me down, no matter how many times you try and take me out, fact of the matter is, I’m not goin’ anywhere.

Nice pop for the Animal here.

Batista: I’m not goin’ anywhere for a long, long time and I plan on makin’ sure the World Heavyweight Championship does the same. You can throw Kane at me, you can throw Shawn Michaels into things but it just doesn’t matter because when all’s said and done, I will walk into Summerslam the World Heavyweight Champion and I will walk out of Summerslam STILL the World…Heavyweight…Champion.

Batista gets in Bischoff’s face now.

Eric Bischoff: Tough talk Dave, really tough talk but like I said, at Summerslam Shawn Michaels could very well play a big, big role in you losing that title which is why I just…I just can’t allow, I can’t afford for you to get your hands on him here tonight, I can’t allow Kane to do so either. Shawn Michaels, hey he WILL be reprimanded here tonight but Dave, he’s still valuable to me, he’s still got a lot to offer me which is why you will be going nowhere near the Heartbreak Kid. Not tonight, not at all until we head to Washington D.C.

Batista grits his teeth here, looking pissed at the decision.

Batista: That’s the way you wanna play it huh? Well I guess there’s nothing I can do right?

Bischoff seems to mouth ‘Right’ as he smirks and Batista looks around the crowd.

Batista: Wrong. If I can’t get to Shawn Michaels here tonight, if I can’t get my hands on your own ‘Personal Employee’, then I’m gonna get my hands…on the employer.

Ohhhhh. Bischoff suddenly gulps as the crowd realises what he means by that.

Eric Bischoff: Dave, Dave look you don’t wanna do that. Really I mean, please, please, DAVE, NO!!

Bischoff begins shouting as Batista inches ever closer towards him…

‘BOOOOOOOM’​

‘Slow Chemical’​

But he immediately takes his eyes off of Bischoff as we hear the music of the Big Red Machine, the Number One Contender Kane as he steps out the curtain and down the ramp, Batista looks on inside the ring, waiting, stalking, poised for Kane to step into the ring. Batista mouths ‘Come on’, urging Kane in and the Devil’s Favourite Demon appears to be set to oblige.

The camera angle then shifts however and we see Eric Bischoff drop to his knees and LOW BLOWS BATISTA!!! BISCHOFF WITH A LOW BLOW!!

Jim Ross: WHAT THE HELL?!? What the hell is that for?! Eric Bischoff just low blowed the World Champion!! And now…and now Kane has easy pickings!!

The Coach: Ha ha!! J.R. this man is just a genius, plain and simple. Batista’s been warned!! Time and again, do NOT cross the boss.

Kane now steps in the ring as Bischoff can’t quite wipe the smile off his face, Kane neither as Kane scoops the Animal up to his feet. Kane nails him with a right hand, followed by another, Irish Whip by the monster as Batista rebounds, HAND AROUND THE THROAT, CHOKESLAM!! CHOKESLAM WITH AUTHORITY!! Batista is completely floored as the number one contender sends an emphatic statement to the World Champion.

Jim Ross: Kane just showing sheer dominance here tonight. An emphatic choke slam, straight to hell for the World Champion and the Big Red Machine along with that…that weasel Eric Bischoff have made their points here tonight.

The Coach: Hey who are you callin’ a weasel? Eric Bischoff is no weasel J.R, Eric Bischoff is a genius and Kane? Well Kane is just a freakin’ monster and come Summerslam he’s gonna be the NEW World Heavyweight Champion. Batista’s days are numbered!

We see Kane backing up the ramp with that twisted smile across his face, delighted with his work there as we see Batista begin to open his eyes, looking a little shocked at first before that shock turns to anger as looks ready to blow a gasket, sitting up and immediately laying eyes on the Big Red Machine before diverting his attentions to Eric Bischoff who wanders around the ring and up the ramp, waving sarcastically to the fallen champion.

Commercials​

We return from the break and immediately hear…

‘Arab America’​

It’s heat instantly as the familiar theme of the Arabian Entity hits and out steps their leader, the Intercontiental Champion Muhammad Hassan followed by the remaining three members, Sonjay Dutt, Daivari and the giant that is The Great Khali.

Jim Ross: Well two weeks ago Muhammad Hassan due to the consequences suffered one of the worst nights to date in his WWE career as he was once again defeated by Charlie Haas. Those consequences? He must now put that Intercontinental title on the line at Summerslam against Shelton Benjamin!

The Coach: I’m still not worried J.R. Hassan’s beaten Shelton on more than one occasion and when it matters most, Hassan will do it again. Sure Charlie Haas has beaten him, so what? Haas beat him in a non title match J.R. Let me reiterate Charlie Haas has beaten him, NOT Shelton Benjamin.

Jim Ross: We shall certainly find out as Summerslam rolls ever closer but tonight a big eight man tag team match up as the entire Entity come together in a bid to take down their rivals.

‘Yeah We’re Comin’ Down’​

It’s a pretty rousing response as out step the World Tag Team Champions, the Dudley Boyz, looking ready and raring to go here.

Jim Ross: Speaking of which! The Dudley Boyz have it all to do come Summerslam as they must team with the Basham Brothers to take on two of their opponents here tonight, Sonjay Dutt and Daivari as well as Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth in an eight man tag team contest, a contest they MUST win in order to determine their next challengers. The Dudleyz don’t win, they don’t score the winning pinfall and that fate goes to the winning team. Big time stakes come Summerslam.

The Coach: Big time stakes for sure J.R and it’s gonna be the night where the fall of the Dudleyz begins. Be it the Entity, be it the Platform to Perfection, hell even the Basham Brothers, one of em’s gonna win it at Summerslam and one of ‘em is gonna go on to become the next Tag Team Champions.

‘Heroes'​

It’s a very nice pop that greets the music of the World’s Greatest Tag Team as down come Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, both looking in pretty buoyant mood.

Jim Ross: Two men here Coach who are the very best of friends, however they’ve got different agendas right now.

The Coach: Absolutely and it’s gonna tear ‘em apart. Charlie Haas wants tag team glory, Shelton Benjamin only has eyes for the Intercontinental Championship, a championship that without Charlie Haas’ help, he wouldn’t even have a shot at winning. Benjamin’s selfish J.R and if I were Charlie Haas I’d be seriously regretting winning that match two weeks ago.

Jim Ross: Oh come on Coach, you can’t blame Shelton Benjamin for wanting the Intercontinental title, he’s been screwed time and again out of it. Tonight though IS a chance for Charlie Haas to maybe prove a point, prove to Shelton Benjamin that they are still the World’s Greatest Tag Team, that they are perhaps better off chasing tag team gold. I don’t personally believe that but we may find out first hand tonight.

The Coach: Charlie Haas is better off alone, that’s my opinion cowboy. This man should be the one facing Muhammad Hassan at Summerslam, not Shelton Benjamin.

Match One: Eight Man Tag Team Match

The Arabian Entity vs. The Dudley Boyz and The World’s Greatest Tag Team

Charlie Haas kicks this thing off whilst Daivari opts to start things out for the Entity and the two men immediately lock up but Haas takes the initiative and applies a side headlock, Daivari though shoves Haas away, the WGTT member rebounding and knocking Daivari down with a shoulder block. Haas continues to keep the pressure up, working over Daivari with a series of holds followed by several stern kicks to the fallen Arab before finally bringing Daivari to his feet, whipping him over to his team’s corner and bringing D-Von Dudley into the match. D-Von is quickly in and hammers away with right hands, Daivari stuck in the corner as D-Von pounds away with some stiff elbows now before dragging Daivari away and he scoops the Cruiserweight up high, suplex incoming but Daivari rolls out the back and drops D-Von with a reverse DDT!! Beautiful stuff by Daivari but he struggles to go for the cover and instead crawls towards his corner looking for a tag. Daivari reaches out and here comes Sonjay Dutt!

D-Von is to his knees as Dutt hops over the top rope and runs the ropes before taking D-Von back down with a low angle dropkick!! D-Von is floored as Dutt crawls into a cover, 1...2...kick out at two from one half of the tag champs. Dutt then works over D-Von, crashing down on him with several jumping elbows before bringing D-Von up and smashing him with several devastating kicks before finally taking D-Von down with a spinning heel kick! Dutt again goes for a cover, 1...2...kick out once again at two from D-Von as he struggles to get back into this contest.

Dutt continues taking it to D-Von, knocking the veteran down again following an Irish whip, the point of his elbow taking his opponent down before Dutt decides to head up high here, potentially looking to finish this thing. Dutt steadies himself on the apron as the anticipation rises in the arena and Dutt soars off the top, MOONSAULT!! NOBODY HOME!! D-Von rolls out of harm’s way and towards his corner, a turning point perhaps here as D-Von heads over, looking on are his partner Bubba as well as the outstretched arms of Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas. Dutt meanwhile is in some discomfort on the mat but begins to try and crawl to his knees as D-Von makes the tag and here comes Bubba Ray!!

Bubba immediately grabs Dutt and tosses him like a rag doll into the corner where the infamous Bubba jabs begin, the 300 plus pounder’s power looking all too much for Dutt here as Bubba now whips him from one corner to another and Bubba comes charging and SPLASHES right into Dutt!! All the air is knocked from his sails as Bubba immediately scoops Dutt up once more before dropping him again with a nice side slam. Dutt is down, Bubba into the cover, 1...2...kick out at two. Bubba looks a tad disappointed as he runs the ropes before slowly trudging towards Dutt and methodically dropping an elbow!! DUTT MOVES!! Dutt gets out of dodge and Bubba crashes to the mat, catching his elbow quite awkwardly as Dutt senses a chance now. Dutt uses the ropes to drag himself up as Bubba does so with one arm and he’s caught with a kick to the mid section and again, Dutt now runs the ropes as Bubba swings but Dutt ducks underneath, Bubba turns around and Dutt throws another kick, Bubba catches it but DUTT WITH AN ENZIGURI!! Bubba is down as Dutt crawls towards his corner, desperate to get out of this one and he tags in Khali!!

The seven foot three inch monster bounds over the top rope as Bubba gets to his feet and realises the giant awaits him, a nervous look across his face as Bubba decides fuck it and heads right for Khali but he’s immediately sent tumbling with a devastating chop!! Khali strolls around the ring like he owns the place as he picks Bubba to his feet with ease before whipping Bubba across the ring, Bubba rebounding into a thunderous big boot!! The crowd all wince as Bubba’s head is almost taken off here and Khali drops down to a cover, 1...2...D-VON BREAKS THE COUNT!! D-Von breaks the count, kicking Khali but Daivari storms into the ring and begins taking it to D-Von!! Chaos ensuing as Daivari and D-Von begin a fist fight and we see Muhammad Hassan send Sonjay Dutt in there!! Dutt joins the assault on D-Von as the two double team the champion, double Irish whip before a clothesline up and over but the pair turn around RIGHT INTO A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE FROM CHARLIE HAAS!! Haas takes both men up and out of the ring, joining D-Von on the outside!! Haas turns around, BAM!! Khali floors Haas with a devastating chop to the skull!!

Khali then turns his attentions back inside the ring as Bubba begins to stir but we see Muhammad Hassan desperate for a tag, calling his partner to bring him into this thing and Khali begrudgingly heads over. Khali tags his leader in and Hassan charges in, stalking his prey as he lines up Bubba, the champion to his feet, REVERSE STO!! NO!! BUBBA FIGHTS BACK!! Bubba with sharp elbows as Hassan can’t quite connect and Bubba turns around right into a back body drop but Hassan lands on his feet!! Bubba spins round right into an Irish whip as BENJAMIN MAKES A BLIND TAG!! Bubba rebounds and Hassan drops Bubba with a fall away slam!! Cover by Hassan but the referee doesn’t count!! The referee doesn’t count as he tells Hassan Bubba isn’t the legal man as Hassan turns around right into the waiting Benjamin!!

Benjamin hammers away at Hassan with stiff right hands, getting him some on the man he meets at Summerslam!! Benjamin now with an Irish whip as Hassan rebounds, kick to the gut, T-Bone Suplex!! NO!! Hassan fights out of it and nails Benjamin with an uppercut, Hassan now with an Irish whip, the pace building here as Benjamin rebounds, Hassan with a clothesline attempt but Benjamin ducks underneath it and CHARGES AT KHALI!! BENJAMIN KNOCKS KHALI OFF THE APRON!! WOW!! The seven footer is floored as Benjamin lets out a roar but he’s rolled up from behind!!! HASSAN WITH THE ROLL UP!! 1...2...HE GOT HIM!! HASSAN STEALS IT!!


Winners: The Arabian Entity(9:04)

Hassan beats his bitter rival as he exit’s the ring to jubilant scenes!! Hassan immediately brings Dutt and Daivari to their feet, dragging them towards the ramp where the trio pick Khali to his feet and head back up the ramp, beaten and bruised but victorious here tonight as we see Bubba and D-Von both down and in some discomfort before a shocked Shelton Benjamin realises what occurred and Charlie Haas looks on from the outside at his defeated partner.

The Coach: Get a real good look at that picture J.R cos Summerslam this is exactly what we’re gonna see, the Arabian Entity standing tall!

Jim Ross: Don’t jump the gun Coach. Muhammad Hassan has it all to do come August 21st, Sonjay Dutt and Daivari have it all to do and I’m betting that Shelton Benjamin and the Dudley Boyz will have a thing or two to say about it.

The Coach: One thing, two things, ten things it doesn’t matter. Muhammad Hassan will walk outta Washington D.C still the Intercontinental Champion and Charlie Haas is gonna be proved right. While we’re gonna have new number one contenders for the World Tag Team titles and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari right now are my pick.

We see the Entity at the top of the stage as they all lock hands and raise their arms in victory, Hassan delivering a sinister glare back in the direction of Shelton Benjamin who is inside the ring, snarling right back at the champion, clearly desperately disappointed at defeat here tonight.

We then cut away backstage where we see Todd Grisham standing by ready for his first duty of the evening
.

Todd Grisham: Ladies and gentleman please welcome my guest at this time, the man who at Summerslam will face Edge for the Money in the Bank contract, Chris Jericho.

Jericho appears into shot, greeted with a nice pop from the crowd. Jericho is sporting his usual attire worn down ringside and cuts a wry smile as Grisham introduces him.

Todd Grisham: Chris things between you and Edge have become more and more heated in recent weeks with last week’s tag team match ending in both of you brawling backstage, having to be separated by officials. Can you describe to us exactly what you’re feeling towards Edge right now?

Chris Jericho: How do I feel towards Edge? Hmmm, good question Rod.

Todd Grisham: Todd.

Chris Jericho: Whatever.

A few laughs as Jericho strokes his chin contemplating his response.

Chris Jericho: Y’know what, the more and more I think about it the more I seem to feel…I seem to feel sorry for Edge. Now I know that might sound strange to a whole lotta people but I do because Edge is desperate. He’s desperate to prove a point, both to me and to everybody in the back.

Jericho nods as he continues.

Chris Jericho: He wants to prove that he’s as good as he seems to believe. Infact, I’ll go one better and say that he needs to prove that he’s good as he believes. He needs to prove it to himself, and hey I know I speak for a ton of people when I say he DEFINITELY needs to prove to everybody else he’s as good as he really believes.

Nice pop for that.

Chris Jericho: See Edge seems to think he’s got a God given right to stroll around here as though he’s this big star. He seems to think that his Money in the Bank contract makes him out to be, well, to be almost untouchable but that? Junior, that couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Jericho smiles to himself before carrying on.

Chris Jericho: Edge’s desperation? It’s gonna be his downfall. That Money in the Bank contract doesn’t make him a star, it doesn’t make him untouchable, it makes him vulnerable, it makes him a target. Edge knows that he’s got that target on his back and he’s scared, believe me. Edge is scared at the thought of that contract being taken away from him. He’s said it over and over and over again, that’s his ticket to the top, well where does he go without that huh? I’ll tell you exactly where he goes without it…nowhere.

Pop for that.

Chris Jericho: Without that contract, without that little briefcase, Edge will always be stuck in the shadows, stuck in the background and come Summerslam I plan on making sure that comes true when I beat him and I take home the Money in the Bank contract. So yeah, I feel sorry for Edge, he’s trying to put on a brave face, he’s trying to act like he’s the man around here, like he’s the tough guy but I can promise you, deep down all Edge really is, all Edge remains is the Chris Jericho wannabe that we all know he is and come Summerslam, Edge’s fear of failure, Edge’s fear of not reaching the very top of the mountain, those fears? Those fears WILL become reality.

Nice pop again for Y2J who heads off, a fierce look across his face as we head back ringside and join J.R and Coach.

‘LoveFuryPassionEnergy’​

It’s a nice pop that greets the music of the Daredevil Diva herself, Lita who bursts out onto the stage full of energy set for action
.

Jim Ross: Well it has been a heck of a ride for Lita since she returned to Monday Night Raw, staking her claim for the Women’s Championship and tonight is another chance for her to take a step in that direction. Folks stay tuned when we return, it’ll be Lita going one on one with Christy Hemme!

Commercials​

We return to Raw and Lita’s opponent for tonight Christy Hemme is just setting foot in the ring and we’re all set for this Divas action.

Match Two: Singles Match

Lita vs. Christy Hemme

Lita looks very aggressive from the get go, no messing around from the Daredevil Diva here tonight as she takes it straight to Christy with the fiery red head having no answer to the former Women’s onslaught. Lita works over Christy with several stern right hands before an array of stomps in the corner as Christy tries to fight back but her efforts are in vain as Lita clubs her with a big time clothesline into the corner.

Lita continues to dominate, taking Christy down with several variations of slams before a leg drop crushes Christy across the throat. Christy finally begins to show some hope as Lita whips her across the ropes, rebounds and Lita swings but Christy runs through and Lita spins around right into a flying shoulder block as Christy scrambles into a cover but it’s a kick out at one and a half.

Christy can’t build on that momentum though as she brings Lita to her feet and is immediately met with a strong right. Lita then keeps up the pressure, riling up the crowd in the process as she stakes her clami to the Women’s Championship in a BIG way here, finally nailing Christy with a Twist of Fate!! Cover by Lita, 1...2...3...mightily impressive win from Lita
.

Winner: Lita(3:26)

Jim Ross: Surely by now Coach, SURELY Lita has done enough to earn a Women’s Championship opportunity. Impressive showing once again from the Daredevil Diva.

The Coach: She’ll never be able to do enough to take on Victoria. Our champion is too strong, she’s too good for anybody in the Women’s division, Lita included so no is the answer to your question and no’s the way it’s gonna stay.

Lita now has a mic, breathing a little heavy as she gets set to make an address here.

Lita: Victoria, I think I’ve proved my point by now don’t you? I mean I’ve come out here week after week and I have WON week after week. If that’s not proving myself then I don’t know what is.

Little pop there.

Lita: So why don’t you come down to this ring and give me exactly what I want? Give me the words I wanna hear, give me a shot…at the Women’s Championship.

Lita await’s a response as the crowd are a little anxious awaiting Victoria’s arrival.

‘I ain’t a lady to mess with’​

Lita nods her head as Victoria’s music hits and she receives exactly what she wanted as out comes the Women’s Champion, smirking quite sinisterly as we wonder what her answer will be.

Victoria: Lita you uh…you just don’t understand do you? I asked you to earn a shot at this title, I asked you to prove yourself worthy of facing me, to go out and impress me. Well allow me to let you in on a little something, it takes a LOT to impress me.

Lita rolls her eyes.

Victoria: And you haven’t…you haven’t quite done enough for me. You’ve won a couple of matches sure, but I don’t just win matches Lita, I dominate matches. You? You don’t do that, you don’t hurt your opponents like I do, you don’t brutalise your opponents like I do, you don’t…

Lita: You don’t stop talking do you?

Nice pop for Lita’s jokey comment.

Lita: Maybe I’m not as strong as you, maybe I’m not as brutal as you are but I am as good as you are, I am as talented as you are and Victoria? I’d go one better and say I AM better than you and I AM more talented than you will ever be.

BIG time pop for the plucky challenger.

Lita: Maybe you’re just afraid huh? Maybe you’re just scared that I’d take that title from you, that I’d make you out to be exactly what you are and that’s a bully who can’t quite live up to her word. Maybe you’re ju…

Victoria: ENOUGH!! I’m not afraid of you Lita, I’m not scared of you, I fear NOBODY!! Ask Trish Stratus how scared I was of her, ask her what the consequences are when you step inside that ring with me. You wanna feel what she felt? You wanna experience what she experienced? You got yourself a deal! You and me Lita, Summerslam and I promise you…I promise you won’t know what’s hit you.

Victoria delivers a deathly glare down at Lita in the ring as Lita smiles.

Lita: Me and Trish have had our battles over the years, I’ve won some, she’s won some but there’s one thing we have in common and that is that we give it everything we’ve got and at Summerslam, I promise YOU that you WILL know exactly... what’s hit you.

Another nice pop as Lita drops the mic, Victoria looking furious as Lita’s music plays and the staredown between these two divas says it all.

We then head off backstage where we see the camera shot of simply a floor, the camera then works its way up as we see the legs of somebody before the mid section and we rise all the way to the face of none other than…Shawn Michaels! Michaels cuts a frustrated look as we then see that standing beside him is of course, Raw GM and Michaels personal employer, Eric Bischoff
.

Eric Bischoff: Shawn I…I need answers okay? What exactly was going on in your head last week? What was running around in the mind of Shawn Michaels? What…WHAT THE HELL…were you thinking?!?

Bischoff is clearly pissed off as Michaels turns and looks Bischoff up and down, not answering.

Eric Bischoff: Well?

Shawn Michaels: I wanted to send a message.

Bischoff laughs.

Eric Bischoff: A message!! Ha ha. A message? What kinda FREAKIN’ MESSAGE WAS THAT?! Kicking Kane‘s head off his shoulders, yeah that’s a real message Shawn. Your job at Summerslam is to make sure he walks out with the World Heavyweight Title, not make sure he leaves with no teeth!

Michaels looks up, bobbing on the spot a little, clearly losing his temper.

Shawn Michaels: My message was just as much for you as it was for both of those guys Eric. I know I’m under contract to you but I just can’t sit back and do your dirty work night after night, week after week, I just can’t take it anymore, ya understand?

Bischoff begins to laugh.

Eric Bischoff: Oh I understand alright, I understand clear as day but do you understand Shawn? Really I mean it…do you understand? You said it yourself, you are under contract to.. me. You are my ‘Personal Employee’, you don’t work for Vince McMahon anymore, you work for ME AND I’LL BE DAMNED…I’ll be damned if you go against my orders.

Big time heat again for Bischoff as Michaels hangs his head.

Eric Bischoff: Are we clear Shawn? Are we? You do the wrong thing at Summerslam and your job…your job is in serious jeopardy. What would your wife make of that huh Shawn? What would your kids make of that? All you have to do is make the right call, do the right thing and me and you? We won’t have any problems.

Shawn Michaels: Oh Eric we will always, always have problems.

Small pop for Michaels standing up to his boss a little bit.

Eric Bischoff: Y’know it’s lucky you’re important to me Shawn, it’s lucky you’re an important piece in the Eric Bischoff jigsaw and that’s why I’ve gotta protect you, that’s why I’ve gotta look out for you. I can’t let Kane get his hands on you after last week, I can’t let Batista get his hands on you after what happened two weeks back. I can’t take that risk but Shawn I wish, I really, REALLY wish that I could.

Shawn Michaels: You wish you could? If only you knew what I wished I could do…to you.

Michaels delivers a sinister glare at the GM before heading off, still clearly frustrated at the position he continues to remain in as Bischoff slams his paperwork down on the table in his office.

Commercials​

Narrator: The biggest party of the summer.

The Summerslam logo appears across the screen as the Summerslam theme plays in the background.

Narrator: High pressure, high stakes.

We see a shot of Batista raising the World title high before a shot of a dejected Shawn Michaels.

Narrator: Who can overcome these obstacles?

We see Kurt Angle locking in the Ankle Lock on Randy Orton.

We then see Kane chokeslamming Chris Jericho.

Narrator: Who can stand tall?

We see John Cena FU’ing JBL.

Narrator: Who can rise to the occasion?

We see Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas celebrating.

Narrator: Who can handle… the heat?

We see a smirking Christian before an angered Ric Flair.

Batista: At Summerslam.

Flashing shot of the Animal landing a Batistabomb.

Edge: At Summerslam.

A brief shot of Edge delivering a Spear.

Randy Orton: At Summerslam.

The Legend Killer delivering an RKO is shown.

Ric Flair: At SUMMERSLAM! WOOO!

Flair locking in the Figure Four is then shown briefly.

Kurt Angle: At Summerslam.

We then see Angle locking in the Ankle lock, wrenching the hold in.

John Cena: At Summerslam.

It’s Cena’s turn then as we see the WWE champion deliver a thunderous FU.

Christian: The heat…is on.

A shot of a desert like scene is then shown as the Summerslam logo then appears again before…

Narrator: Summerslam: Can you handle the heat?​


We return ringside to see Maven inside the ring before we hear…

‘Kennedyyyyyyyy’

‘Turn up the Trouble’​

There’s a flutter of boos but nothing major as the still somewhat unfamiliar sound of Mr.Kennedy’s music hits and out struts the newcomer with the boos growing a touch heavier.

Jim Ross: Welcome back to Monday Night Raw and last week we witnessed the debut of this man, Mr.Kennedy-

The Coach: Kennedyyyyy.

Jim Ross: Yeah we get it Coach. Kennedy picked up an emphatic victory over Eugene and certainly looked impressive as he looks to pick up here tonight from where he left off.

The Coach: Oh he will pick up exactly where he left off. Kennedy has got it all J.R. In the ring, on the microphone, he calls himself a game changer and that’s a freakin’ understatement.

Kennedy now looks up to the heavens as the spotlight shines down on him, the lights out as he gets ready for his pre match introduction.

Mr.Kennedy: Last week you people witnessed the single greatest debut in the HISTORY of this business.

Boos already.

Mr.Kennedy: I took to this ring, grabbed this very microphone and I welcomed you into my world and what you heard was a statement of intent and well, whadda ya know? I lived up to every single word of that statement.

Kennedy chews his gum vociferously before continuing.

Mr.Kennedy: I took on Eugene…I say ‘took on’ Eugene but in actual fact, I walked all over him. I walked all over poor little Eugene and I demonstrated to each and every one of you people why I am the rising star of Monday Night Raw, the game changer this show, this entire company so desperately, desperately needs and tonight? Tonight the trend continues and you lucky folks get to be a part of it all so without further a due.

Kennedy positions himself now, ready to get ‘proceedings’ underway.

Mr.Kennedy: Ladies and gentleman this next match is scheduledddddddddddd for one fallllllllllll. This evening I weigh in at two hundred forty four pounds, yeah I know, dropped a pound…

Kennedy winks before continuing.

Mr.Kennedy: I hail from Greeeeeeeeeeeeeen Bayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, Wisconsinnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…

A few fans are already on the Kennedy bandwagon whilst others are booing the brash youngster.

Mr.Kennedy: Misterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Kennedyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…

It’s coming but Kennedy instead heads up to the top rope.

Mr.Kennedy: KE-NNE-DYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

Kennedy then tosses the microphone back up high before spitting his chewing gum out and hopping back down as Coach proclaims it was beautiful listening to that.

Match Three: Singles Match

Mr.Kennedy vs. Maven

The bell rings and Kennedy looks on cockily, smirking as he chews his gum and Maven looks on with a look of determination, a chance for him to get a momentum building win here.

Kennedy gains the initiative immediately, picking Maven apart with some stiff knees to the ribs before whipping Maven into the corner and Kennedy smashes a boot to the face!! Maven tumbles down, slumped in the corner as Kennedy begins to stomp the hell out of his opponent. The referee warns Kennedy before starting a count to 5. The referee gets to 3 before dragging Kennedy away with the arrogant newcomer proclaiming ‘I’ve got til five moron’ as he lands one more stiff kick to the temple.

Kennedy then puts a boot right in the neck of Maven, putting all his weight down as the referee begins a count again, Kennedy choking Maven here who’s face turns bright red. Evenually Kennedy breaks his hold, laughing to himself as the crowd boos. Kennedy soaks it in however, arms out wide as he yells that ‘I’m the Game Changer folks, get used to it’, drawing him more heat.

Kennedy then whips Maven into the ropes, Maven responding well though with a shoulder tackle sending Kennedy down. Kennedy is quickly up and he’s caught with a boot by Maven, Irish whip now and Kennedy rebounds, back body drop!! Kennedy lands on his feet however as Maven turns around and he’s met with a boot to the gut before Kennedy tosses Maven shoulder first through the ropes and into the ring post!! Maven used like a dart there as he falls out of the corner and Kennedy takes him down with a nice Russian Legsweep!

Another arrogant smirk comes across Kennedy’s face before he wipes his hands together as if to say ‘Job Done’ before bringing Maven to his feet again, the final nail in the coffin it would appear as Kennedy NAILS MAVEN WITH THE MIC CHECK!! Cover by Kennedy, 1...2...3.


Winner: Mr.Kennedy(4:09)

Jim Ross: Very impressive once again from Mr.Kennedy, polishing off Maven with relative ease I must say which certainly isn’t an easy task.

The Coach: Nothing’s easy in this business J.R but Mr.Kennedy is makin’ it look exactly that. A walk in the park, a piece of cake, throw all the clichés in the world at it and you’d be right. Kennedy has got it all and it’s only a matter of time before this kid is on top around here.

Kennedy now has the microphone lowered from the rafters again, no spotlight this time however.

Mr.Kennedy: The winner of this matchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh to absolutely nobody’s surpriseeeeeeeeeeeeee, MISTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR KEEEEEEEEEEEENNEDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY…

Boos as well as cheers can be heard.

Mr.Kennedy: KENNEDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

The mic is then tossed back up as Kennedy raises his arms up high in celebration of his decisive victory.

The Coach: It don’t get no better than that J.R!! Mr.Kennedy, the rising star, the game changer, the FUTURE of the WWE.

Jim Ross: Well I’d say it’s still far too early for those kinda statements and I’d like to think Kennedy’s attitude is gonna change if he’s gonna get on top here on Monday Night Raw.

The Coach: Attitude? There’s no attitude about this man cowboy. If you knew you were the best, you’d call yourself the best but you know you can’t do that, that honour belongs to me. Mr.Kennedy though? He can do it J.R. He has every right to do it.

Kennedy poses on the top of the stage as we head off backstage and see Todd Grisham waiting in the wings.

Todd Grisham: Ladies and gentleman joining me at this time please welcome the Arabian Entity.

The Entity, lead by Muhammad Hassan appear into the shot to a chorus of boos.

Todd Grisham: Guys earlier on tonight you defeated The World’s Greatest Tag Team along with the
World Tag Team Champions, The Dudley Boyz. How much momentum and how much belief have you gained from that result here tonight?

All four men look around at each other.

Muhammad Hassan: Momentum, belief, they’re two things we took nothing from here tonight. Momentum doesn’t play a role in this business as far as we’re concerned, we don’t need it, all that’s needed is the talent to win, the talent to succeed and the four of us? The four of us have all the talent in the world. Come Summerslam we’re gonna showcase it for the everybody to see. As far as belief goes Todd? I think that just about says how much belief we already have.

Hassan seems very focused and intense here as he tells Grisham exactly how it is.

Muhammad Hassan: That belief comes with the talent we possess but that belief also comes from what we already know about those…those losers that like to call themselves the ‘World’s Greatest Tag Team’.

Pop for the mention of the dynamic duo.

Muhammad Hassan: We know that they can’t get the better of us and that is a simple fact. I’ve beaten Shelton Benjamin what, two, three, four times? I’ve proved myself time and time again against him and that’s why I firmly believe that come Summerslam I’ll do it again. Charlie Haas on the other hand…hmmm.

Hassan holds his chin pondering something.

Muhammad Hassan: Y’know Charlie Haas is a different kinda case. As much as I don’t like to admit it, Charlie’s had my number, he’s beaten me twice, that doesn’t happen every day but Todd, I am NOT defending my title against Charlie Haas. They like to call themselves the World’s Greatest Tag Team and we as an Entity laugh at that claim.

We see Daivari and Dutt doing exactly that.

Muhammad Hassan: They are not the greatest tag team in the world, they are not the greatest tag team in the WWE, they are not the greatest tag team on this show!! Todd they are…they are not even a team. When was the last time Shelton Benjamin even showed ANY interest in teaming with Charlie Haas?

Grisham doesn’t respond.

Muhammad Hassan: Exactly and come Summerslam it’s gonna be what tears them apart. Charlie Haas wants tag team glory, he wants his partner back, he wants his buddy back but Shelton Benjamin? Pffft, Shelton Benjamin wants nothing to do with him and at Summerslam I’m gonna once again put a dent in his title dreams. August 21st and every single day moving on from that will showcase Shelton Benjamin’s true colours, will showcase that he’s a liar, that he is selfish, that he doesn’t give a DAMN about Charlie Haas and that more importantly than alllllllll of that, it’ll showcase that Shelton Benjamin, like he proved once again here tonight, is nothing more… than a failure.

Hassan delivers a stern stare before he and the Entity depart, their message evident here tonight.

We then head back ringside to hear…


‘Whips and Chains’​

It’s a nothing like reaction as the Basham Brothers make their way down, a few cheers in there however for the recently turned fan favourites as they get set for action.

Jim Ross: Well folks when we return it’ll be these two men, the very capable, very talented Basham Brothers taking on the young, brash duo of Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth, don’t go anywhere!!

Commercials​

‘Perfection’​

We return and immediately hear the theme of the Platform to Perfection with Doane and Nemeth heading down to the ring, looking as arrogant and cocky as ever, Nemeth pandering to the crowd while Doane struts his body off to a few fans before mouthing words at the waiting Bashams who watch on in the ring.

Jim Ross: Huge opportunity for both of these teams here tonight to make a statement heading into the big 8 man tag team showdown come Summerslam. The Platform to Perfection have looked very impressive since debuting on Monday nights while the Bashams have done likewise since being drafted over to the Red brand. Should be a heck of a match here Coach.

The Coach: Yeah I got no doubt about it J.R. but it’s gonna be a match that Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth win. These two are STARS in the making and I’d put them right up there as favourites come Summerslam.

Jim Ross: What happened to the Entity being your pick?

Coach is silent…

Jim Ross: Well…

The Coach: I don’t have to answer to you barbeque boy. Lets just enjoy the beating Doane and Nemeth are gonna dish out here to these two morons.

Match Four: Tag Team Match

The Basham Brothers vs. The Platform to Perfection

It’s Doane and Danny Basham who start this thing off with Danny coming out looking big time fired up as Ken Doane has no answer for the aggressive Basham’s quick start. Danny works over Doane with some strong right hands followed by a couple of nice forearms as Doane looks for a way into this contest but instead Danny whips the young perfectionist into the corner and charges right at him, smashing him with an elbow to the head before tagging in Doug Basham.

Doug’s quickly in and picks up where Danny left off delivering some clubbing shots to Doane before a kick to the mid section and a nice snap suplex from Doug! Into the cover, kick out at two. Doug is quickly after Doane again, bringing him to his feet and smashing with another right hand, Irish whip from Doug and Doane comes off the ropes, Doug bends over, back body drop, NO! KICK TO THE FACE FROM DOANE!! Doane read Doug’s move and then drops him with a neck breaker before plodding over to his corner and tagging in Nemeth.

Nemeth struts into the ring, confident is ever and begins to pick apart Doug, stomping away at the Basham from head to toe as his partner Danny watches on in frustration, Nemeth delivering a wink in his direction, only furthering Doug’s frustration. Nemeth continues to keep the upper hand, dropping Doug with a nice scoop slam before a leg drop across the chest, cover from Nemeth, kick out at two once more. Nemeth then looks to try and really force this one to be over with as he SMASHES Doug to the canvas with a beautiful jumping DDT! The crowd ooooohing and aaaaahing as Doug hit’s the mat like a sack of potatoes. Another cover from Nemeth but Danny Basham breaks the count at two!

Ken Doane doesn’t take too kindly to this however and hops through the ropes, Doane charging at Danny but Danny dodges it and catches Doane with a nice dropkick! Doane’s quickly back up as Danny swings for a clothesline but Doane ducks underneath as Danny falls into the ropes, Doane running the opposite side before charging and clothesline to Danny, NO!! Danny pulls the ropes down and Doane goes tumbling!! The crowd eats it up as Doane hit’s the outside but DANNY’S TOSSEED OVER THE TOP BY NEMETH!! Payback from Nick Nemeth as the crowd boos the cocky blonde here.

Nemeth though is caught from behind, roll up by Doug!! 1...2...kick out at two and a half as Doug almost steals it. Both men are quick to their feet now as Nemeth charges but he’s caught with a clothesline from Doug and again, Doug on a roll here. Irish whip from the Basham as Nemeth falls hard into the corner, Doug charges but Nemeth gets an elbow up, Doug spirals out of the corner as Nemeth hops on up to the top rope, dangerous intentions in mind here, MISSILE DROPKICK!! WOW!! Nemeth crawls into the cover, 1...2...3...NO!! Doug somehow kicks out!!

Nemeth can’t believe it as the crowd give a nice pop for Doug’s resilience. Nemeth pounds the mat before dragging Doug to his feet, what’s he got in store here? Doug is to his feet as Nemeth goes for a bulldog but Doug shoves him off and into the ropes, Nemeth rebounds and throws a right hand but Doug ducks it, Nemeth spins round and Doug goes for a flapjack!! Nemeth blocks it though and tosses Doug into the ropes, Doug goes to rebound but DOANE CLUBS HIM FROM BEHIND!! RIGHT INTO THE PATH OF NEMETH!! ZIG ZAG!! Nemeth scores with a vicious Zig Zag as Doug is floored, DANNY BASHAM hops onto the apron, trying to break it up but Doane takes him down at the legs!! Cover by Nemeth, 1...2...3...Big win for PTP!!


Winners: Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection(7:54)

The Coach: I told ya J.R!! These two guys looking DAMN sure impressive!! Go back home Doug and Danny, you guys don’t stand a freakin’ chance.

Jim Ross: Have some respect Coach. The could’ve just as easily been victorious in this one here tonight and come Summerslam it’s anybody’s ball game. Doane and Nemeth are two bright, talented kids and on August 21st they’ve got a hell of a test in store for ‘em.

The Coach: A test they’ll pass with flying colours!! They provide the platform baby and at Summerslam they show us why.

Doane and Nemeth back up the ramp, celebrating their victory with real passion, clearly thrilled at beating one of their rivals come Summerslam as we head off backstage where we see RIC FLAIR!! Flair appears to be getting ready for his big main event later on tonight and the crowd goes wild before we see Flair’s eyes widen and a smile come across Naitch’s face!!

Ric Flair: WOOOOO!! Well if it isn’t the MAN himself, the ANIMAL, the World… Heavyweight… CHAMPION!! WOOOOO!! DAVE BATISTA!!

Batista appears into shot, not looking in the best of moods as he and Flair embrace one another, this is met with Woooos and cheers from the crowd once more.

Ric Flair: How’s it going big man? Good to see ya.

Batista huffs and puffs a little.

Ric Flair: Oh c’mon Dave, don’t be like that, Bischoff getting inside that head o’ yours huh?

Batista: Getting inside my head is an understatement. That son of a bitch is pushin’ me Ric, I’m just about ready to blow here. You see what he did out there tonight?

Flair chuckles to himself.

Ric Flair: Oh yeah i saw it but thing is, Bischoff will never change Dave, he will always be after you, always be targeting you, pulling off crap like that as long as you hold that World title BUT that’s the sacrifice you gotta make. You gotta WELCOME the challenge, WELCOME the pressure, WELCOME the fight he’s gonna take to you. Be it Kane, be it Shawn Michaels, HELL he might even throw THE NATURE BOY in your way!! WOOOO!!

Wooooos ring around the arena once more.

Ric Flair: You gotta welcome it Dave because YOU are the man and you know how it goes down buddy, to be the man you gotta BEAT the man and there’s a whole locker room who wanna be…that…guy. You can deal with Bischoff, I know you got it in you champ and I know come Summerslam you aren’t gonna let Kane, you aren’t gonna let Shawn Michaels keep ya down.

Batista nods his head.

Batista: There’s a reason you were my mentor Ric and that’s exactly it. I appreciate it. You uh, you all set for your match tonight?

Ric Flair: Sure am, sure am. Edge is gonna get a small dose out there tonight, just a small TASTER of what that punk Christian’s gonna feel come Summerslam. I know Christian’s gonna try and pull something off here tonight but I am ALWAYS ready, I am ALWAYS prepared and tonight? Tonight it ain’t gonna be any different.

Batista has an intrigued look on his face here, a light bulb going off inside his head perhaps.

Batista: Ric, Ric hold on just a second. You know how desperate I am to get my hands on somebody here tonight, you know I am DYING to beat the crap outta somebody and to be honest I don’t give a damn who it is. So I know you’re your own man and all but uh, if Christian tries any funny business tonight, if Edge tries any of his little games out there, I’ll be down to that ring quicker than a heartbeat and I will KICK THEIR ASS!!

BIG time pop for the World Champion as Flair nods his head.

Ric Flair: Ha ha, now THAT sounds like a plan, WOOOOO!!

Flair and Tista shake hands once again before Batista heads off in the opposite direction to the Dirtiest Player in the Game and the picture heads off.

Commercials​

We return to Raw and we see Eric Bischoff once again here this evening, Shawn Michaels stood next to the boss who is sitting down in a chair, filling out something while Michaels looks beyond bored here, appearing very agitated, very frustrated. Bischoff then looks up and looks a little uneasy as the camera then turns and we see Big Show appear into shot!

Eric Bischoff: Show uhhhhh what can I do for ya?

Bischoff tries to be putting on a tough guy act here as he stands up and gets in Show’s face(chest more like).

Big Show: Oh I think you know damn well what you can do for me Eric. Me, Mark Jindrak, Summerslam, make…it…happen.

Show is in no mood for messing around here.

Eric Bischoff: You really think you deserve another shot at Jindrak? Really? He’s beaten you …I don’t know how many times now and he’s beaten you with EASE each and every single one of ‘em so tell me what yo…

Big Show: With ease? You call Regal using the brass knucks last week with ease? He may’ve beaten me Eric, hell he may’ve beaten me on more than one occasion but with ease ain’t the words you’re lookin’ for and I want payback, SO YOU BETTER GIVE IT TO ME!!

Show is growling almost in Bischoff’s face as the boss cowers.

Eric Bischoff: Shawn a uh... a little help here pal.

Michaels steps in, albeit very begrudgingly as Bischoff wills him into it and stares down Show as the crowd give an ooooooooh and Bischoff backs up ruffling his jacket, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Eric Bischoff: What are ya gonna do now then Show? What are ya gonna do now?

Show looks ready to hurl himself at the GM here.

Big Show: Oh what am I gonna do? Well seein’ as you’re so sensitive about your little investment here for Summerslam(looks at Shawn), your special referee here, how about I make sure he ends up in a wheelchair? How’s that sound Eric?

Show then puts a fist up as Michaels looks a little taken aback before he stares at Show as if to say ‘Bring it on’.

Eric Bischoff: Alright, alright, I‘m not gonna let that happen, I give in. You want Jindrak at Summerslam, you got him and just so nothing is left up in the air, just so there are no more excuses from you Show, that match? That match will be a No Holds Barred match. How’s that sound for ya?

Show smiles and the crowd pops big time.

Big Show: Eric that sounds perfect. And as far as you go…

Ooooooh. Show gets in Michaels face.

Big Show: I’m getting pretty sick and tired of all this crap now Shawn. Last week was the first sign of spark I’ve seen in you since this whole thing happened. Do NOT let Batista down come Summerslam, do NOT let these fans down at Summerslam and Shawn do NOT…let yourself down August 21st. If ya do? (Show sblacks) If ya do Shawn, you’ll be no better than this piece of crap we have to call our General Manager.

Show then heads back out as Michaels now smirks, what does the Showstopper find amusing?.

Eric Bischoff: HEY YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH SHOW!!

Bischoff then goes and sits down again getting back to his paperwork while Michaels remains dead still, the smirk still on his face.

Eric Bischoff: What are you just gonna stand there all night?

Silence as Bisch then puts his head down and continues his work.

Eric Bischoff: Shawn…

Nothing.

Eric Bischoff: Shawn, hey, answer me would ya. I haven’t got all ni…

Bischoff then looks up to see that HBK has left!! Shawn Michaels has headed out of Eric Bischoff’s office but where the hell has he gotten to? Big Show’s pep talk may’ve set something off inside the Showstopper as Bischoff looks horrified and immediately jumps out of his seat and sets out to find the Heartbreak Kid.

We then return ringside…


The Coach: Where the HELL does Shawn Michaels think he’s going? Kane and Batista are after him!! Eric Bischoff can’t afford to lose Shawn Michaels J.R!

Jim Ross: Well I don’t think the Heartbreak Kid can afford to lose another minute stuck in Eric Bischoff’s office and I’m pretty damn sure Shawn Michaels is headed off somewhere to make an impact.

‘You think you Know Me’

‘Metalingus’​

The music of the Money in the Bank contract holder then hits to a chorus of boos as out struts the Rated R Superstar himself, Edge, a broad smile across his face as he taps his briefcase.

Jim Ross: Back to the action however and folks do we have a main event in store for you or what here tonight. Edge, the Money in the Bank contract holder taking on the sixteen time World Champion, Ric Flair and it’s a real opportunity for Edge to prove just why he believes he is on his way to the very top here on Monday Night Raw and here in the WWE.

The Coach: He’s already proved it to me and it’ll only be a matter of time before he proves to you and all the other morons who boo him that he IS the future of this show, of this company and Chris Jericho’s gonna find out exactly that at Summerslam while old man Flair’s gonna find that out first hand here tonight.

‘WOOOO’​

It’s an almighty pop next as the Nature Boy heads on down to the ring, looking as good as ever, yelling ‘Woooo’ at every opportunity as he soaks in potentially one of his final nights on Raw.

Jim Ross: Listen to this ovation!! The Nature Boy, the Dirtiest Player in the Game, SIXTEEN time World Champion Ric Flair back in action Live on Monday Night Raw. It doesn’t get much bigger than this Coach.

The Coach: It gets a lot bigger believe me, having the Coach in the main event would be bigger than this. I hope to god that this is the last time we see Ric Flair in a Raw ring and y’know I’m pretty confident it will be too cos come Summerslam Christian’s gonna send him PACKING back to Charlotte and to where he belongs, a freakin’ retirement home.

Jim Ross: For cryin’ out loud.

Match Five: Singles Match

Edge vs. Ric Flair

It’s a pretty hot atmosphere in the arena as these two major players on Raw get set to square off, both men looking more than ready to go toe to toe here as they lock up in the centre of the ring and Edge shoves Flair away into the ropes but Flair rebounds and knocks Edge down with a shoulder block! First ‘Wooooos’ of the match from the crowd as Flair smiles and immediately draws Edge to his feet before the trademark knife edge chops!! ‘WOOO’, ‘WOOO’ after each and every one of them as Edge is backed into the corner, his chest bright red now before Flair nails a big right hand and Edge is floored, Naitch making his mark here in the opening.

Flair then does his trademark stlyin’ and profiling’ around the ring, the infamous Flair strut as more ‘Woooos’ greet the veteran’s every move before he heads back to Edge but he’s met with an elbow to the gut! Edge gets to his feet and now begins to get the upper hand, knocking Flair down following some strong right hands as a clothesline does just the job and Edge now begins to feel it, stomping the hell out of Flair before letting out a ‘Woooo’ of his own which wasn’t greeted too kindly by the Connecticut faithful.

The Rated R Superstar then brings Flair to his feet, nailing a boot to the gut before dropping a beautiful suplex right on Naitch, Edge rolls into the cover, kick out at two from Flair. A slight bit of disappointment from Edge before he drags Flair up once again, this time whipping Flair across the ring as Flair bounces into the corner and Edge comes charging smashing an elbow right across the face!! Flair stumbles out of the corner as Edge then drops Flair with a nice snap mare takedown before applying a modified dragon sleeper!! Edge looking to finish this thing as Flair struggles for breath, the referee asking the 16 time World Champion if he wants to give in here but Flair is fighting, fighting with all he’s got. Edge keeps the hold locked in but Flair fights it, elbows to the gut of Edge, hammering away as he breaks the hold!! Edge holds his mid section as Flair with another boot before a stinging knife edge chop once again!! ‘WOOOS’ all around the arena as Flair grabs Edge by the knee and hoists Edge up high delivering a devastating knee drop!!

Edge grabs his knee in some discomfort here as Flair struts his stuff around the ring, all fired up as Flair goes for the leg of Edge, FIGURE FOUR TIME!! Flair twists around, he’s got it locked in!! NO!! Edge kicks Flair away as Flair almost trips over and Edge gets to his knees, Flair goes back over to Mr.MITB but he’s caught with a knee to the boot, EDGECUTION!! EDGECUTION FROM OUT OF NOWHERE!! Edge slowly crawls over to the fallen Flair, cover, 1...2...3...NO!! Flair just about survives!!

Edge can’t believe it as Flair kicks out and the Rated R Superstar goes into a frenzy, demanding the referee count to three as he covers again, 1...2...shoulder up once more!! Edge pounds the mat, realising it simply wasn’t enough as he runs his hands through his hair and heads over to the corner, poising himself, waiting for Flair to return to his feet, Edge has a Spear in mind here!! Flair stumbles to his feet, using the ropes to bring himself up as he turns himself round RIGHT INTO THE ONCOMING EDGE!! SPEAR!!! NO!! FLAIR DODGES IT AND TOSSES EDGE THROUGH THE ROPES!! Edge hit’s the outside as Flair survives and takes a small breather, Edge down and out before Flair heads to the outside to join him.

Flair hops down and works over the MITB holder, stomping away at the right leg of Edge before working over the left leg also as Flair then scoops Edge up before dropping him again with another rough knife edge chop!! Edge’s chest is still bright red, all the impact of these chops as Flair with the count at 7 drags Edge back up and tosses him inside the ring. Flair follows right behind but he heads for the top rope!! What’s Flair got in store here? Edge grasps out for something, anything to bring him to his feet, he gets to his knees as Flair lets out a ‘Woooo’ on the top rope, steadying himself as Edge turns around into a DOUBLE AXE HANDLE OFF THE TOP!! Edge is floored as Flair rolls into a cover, 1...2...3...NO!! EDGE WITH THE SHOULDER UP!!

Flair is now the one with a look of disappointment as he asks the referee ‘Was it three?’ Flair brings himself to his feet as the referee fills him in, Edge is to his knees as Flair goes to drag him up, he does so and nails a right hand on Edge knocking him aback, another right hand and now a left hand, right hand, left hand combinations from Flair, Irish whip now from the Nature Boy as Edge rebounds and Flair throws a clothesline but Edge ducks underneath it and stops his tracks, he goes to turn around BUT FLAIR WITH A CHOP BLOCK!! Flair floors Edge and lets out another loud ‘WOOO’ before the FIGURE FOUR!! FLAIR LOCKS IN THE FIGURE FOUR!! The crowd is going absolutely crazy as Flair has it locked in and Edge has nowhere to go!!

Edge is writhing in agony here, his hand close to falling as Flair looks like he’s putting every ounce of effort into this, desperate to put away Edge, desperate to send a message to Christian as Edge’s hand falls slowly down, further and further it goes and Edge at…

‘Just Close Your Eyes’

WHAT ON EARTH?! The music of Christian hits!! Flair breaks the hold!! Flair was moments away from getting the victory but he gets to his feet and awaits the arrival of Christian and HERE HE COMES!! Flair wants Captain Charisma but Christian is simply strolling down to ringside, looking out for his peeps as he smirks at Flair, Tomko is beside CC but the two men are going at a leisurely pace as Flair looks ready to blow a gasket. BUT FLAIR IS ROLLED UP FROM BEHIND!! 1...2...3...NO!! FLAIR KICKS OUT AS EDGE ALMOST STEALS IT!!

Both men are quick to their feet and Edge swings but misses and Flair takes Edge down at the legs, FIGURE FOUR TIME ONCE AGAIN!! NO!! INSIDE CRADLE FROM EDGE!! 1...2...3...NO!! FLAIR KICKS OUT AGAIN!! Both men are quick to their feet once more as Christian and Tomko continue to stroll around the ring, J.R. proclaiming for the ref to throw them out as Flair charges at Edge, back body drop by the Rated R Superstar!! Flair lands on his feet and Edge turns around RIGHT INTO A SHINBREAKER!! We see Christian headed over towards Lilian Garcia now as Tomko heads the opposite direction and Flair goes ONCE AGAIN for the Figure four, will it be all this time?! YES!! LOCKED IN!! FIGURE FOUR LOCKED IN AND EDGE IS ALL BUT READY TO TAP!! BUT TOMKO!! TOMKO IS ON THE APRON!!

The referee sees Tomko and tries to get the big man down, pleading with him and arguing but Tomko’s having none of it as EDGE TAPS!! EDGE IS TAPPING OUT BUT THERE’S NO REFEREE!! Flair breaks the hold thinking he’s won but sees the ref’s back is turned, Flair then gets to his feet before he turns around, BAM!! CHRISTIAN WITH A STEEL CHAIR!! STEEL CHAIR ACROSS THE SKULL!! Flair is floored as Tomko now finally drops down, the referee turns back around as Edge crawls and claws his way over, clutching his leg in agony as he drapes an arm over the Nature Boy, 1...2...3...HE GOT HIM!! EDGE WINS IT!!

Winner: Edge(13:04)

The assault then begins as Tomko and Christian like a pack of wolves come and take it to Naitch!! The veteran is floored and vulnerable as these two show no remorse, hammering away with vicious kicks to Flair as Tomko brings Edge to his feet and despite the fatigue, Edge joins in the assault!!

Jim Ross: DAMN IT TO HELL!! Edge just stole the victory thanks to Christian!! A-a-and now look at this!! It’s two on one, hell, it’s three on one with Tomko in there!!

The Coach: Put the old man outta his misery fellas!! Don’t wait til Summerslam, do…it…NOW!!

Jim Ross: Somebody’s gotta stop this, somebody’s gotta sto- YES!! JERICHO!! CHRIS JERICHO COMING TO GET HIM SOME ON EDGE!! COMING TO THE AID OF THE NATURE BOY!!

The Coach: Jericho’s even stupider than I thought!! It’s still three on two!!

Jericho is of course sprinting down to the ring and hops inside, immediately taking it to Edge!! Christian and Tomko are pummelling Flair while it’s Jericho and Edge trading blows, scenes similar to last week here and these two AND JERICHO TOSSES EDGE TO THE OUTSIDE!! This thing’s spilling all over the place AGAIN!! Christian meanwhile tells Tomko to hoist Flair up, the Problem Solver doing just that as Christian boots Flair in the gut, Unprettier time!!

BUT HERE COMES BATISTA!!!


Jim Ross: THE ANIMAL!! THE ANIMAL COMING TO THE AID OF RIC FLAIR!! BATISTA IS HEADED THIS WAY AND HE’S HEADED FOR CHRISTIAN!!

The Coach: Get ‘im Tomko!!

Tomko does indeed charge at the World Champion but he’s cut in half with a DEVASTATING SPEAR!!

Jim Ross: Thanks for coming Tomko!!

And now the Animal has his sights set on Christian!! Christian has left Flair fallen and looks like he’s about to shit his pants as Tista huffs and puffs, the crowd abuzz as Batista makes the move BUT CHRISTIAN SHOWS SOME FIGHT!! Christian and Batista going to war here!! A fist fight between the two men but the power of the Animal sees him come out on top, forcing him back as Tista now with an Irish whip before a SPINEBUSTER!! Christian is in a world of trouble now as the ropes begin to shake, Batistabomb time!! We get a quick glimpse of Jericho and Edge once again fighting off up the ramp, going hell for leather with one another, nobody quite getting on top before we cut back to the ring and Batista delivers the thumbs up before…thumbs down… Christian’s in a world of trouble here!! Boot to the gut, up goes Christian!! BATISTABOMB CONNECTS!!

Jim Ross: Captain Charisma meets his match here tonight!! A fired up, pissed off animal!! The World Heavyweight Champion came tonight looking for a fight and if he wasn’t gonna get Shawn Michaels, if he wasn’t gonna get Kane then he was gonna get anybody he could!!

The Coach: Disgusting J.R Batista had no right to do that to Christian!! Christian’s none of his business, Ric Flair isn’t any of his business and I don’…

Jim Ross: Christian wasn’t a part of Ric Flair’s business here tonight!! Christian cost Flair the match for cryin’ out loud!!

The Coach: But Christian IS a part of Ric Flair’s business, he’s the man who in thirteen nights time ENDS the Nature Boy’s career and Batista will NOT be there to save him.

Tista lifts Flair to his feet, the Dirtiest Player in the game embraces his former protégé as the crowd goes insane. The show then closes with Tista and Flair raising one another’s arm as the Animal’s music plays…





But we then go backstage where we see….nothing?? There’s nothing but the camera gradually moves further and further forward and we see what appears to be a body on the floor, the camera then gets right up towards this laid out body and we see SHAWN MICHAELS!! The Heartbreak Kid is completely out cold with a small amount of BLOOD laying right beside him, Michaels completely busted open here as there’s nobody in sight of him.

Jim Ross: SHAWN MICHAELS!! SOMEBODY GET SOME HELP BACK THERE!!

Batista and Flair don’t know what’s going on as they celebrate still with the crowd before our attention is turned back to the titantron where we see Michaels again flat out but the camera then shifts to the left of Michaels where we see KANE!! The Big Red Machine begins to smirk and let out that devilish laugh of his before he walks away, his work obviously done and Eric Bischoff’s word of warning was clearly not heeded by the Showstopper. Has Shawn Michaels put the General Manager’s plans in jeopardy? Has Kane taken out the Heartbreak Kid? The final image is once again of Michaels laying in his own blood as we fade to black.

Date: 21st August 2005
Location: Washington DC

World Heavyweight Championship:
Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
Batista(c) vs Kane

WWE Championship:
John Cena(c) vs Kurt Angle

If Ric Flair loses, he must retire:
Christian w/Tomko vs Ric Flair

Randy Orton vs The Undertaker

WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Muhammad Hassan(c) vs Shelton Benjamin

Money in the Bank Contract:
Edge vs Chris Jericho

8 Man Tag Team Match:
The Dudley Boyz and The Basham Brothers vs Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari; The Arabian Entity​

No Holds Barred Match:
Mark Jindrak w/William Regal vs Big Show

WWE Women's Championship:
Victoria(c) vs Lita​
 
#156 ·
JAM's Review​
That was a really well-executed opening segment you had there. If this was re-worded a little, it also could've made for a great closing segment. With that said, you write Bischoff beautifully in your thread, you catch his asshole-ness quite well man. If there's one gripe I had with this, I'd say that Batista was targeting the wrong person in HBK. Even if HBK did deliver some SCM on 'Tista, he did save him the week before. But I loved the part when you had Batista going for Bischoff but ofcourse no one can touch the boss so I was expectin' Kane to make an appearance. This was definitely a defiant act by both Bischoff and Kane, gives Kane a lot of momentum heading into Summerslam.

With the loss here, I fully expect Haas to turn heel at Summerslam. Maybe he'll go as far as costing Benjamin the IC Title, which is no surprise to me. I think it'll be interesting to see Haas get a respectable run as a singles competitor since everyone always books Shelton Benjamin to be the more successful one of the two. The Jericho promo was kind of repetitive for me here. I don't think Edge is losing that briefcase since I think he does need it to shoot him to the top while Jericho has been at the top already. Their feud has been interesting to say the least. I don't think it'll be the last time the briefcase will be on the line though. But maybe after Summerslam, Edge can go on the hunt, maybe teasing his cash-ins.

Not much to say about the Divas, but they were definitely better around this time period. Victoria vs. Lita should be good. HBK finally makes an appearance tonight but I think it could've been done in a bigger way. After all that has happened, I kind of expected HBK to snap already. But he did keep his composure but his intentions remain to be seen. Very interesting angle you got going on here man.

Definitely likin' Mr. Kennedy. I think WWE dropped the ball on him so I hope you don't. He is definitely going to be a major player and with him debuting on RAW, looks like he'll be having a bigger impact than usual. I believe he debuted on SD irl right? But anyway, Kennedy has all the tools to be in the main which is where I see him going soon. And this promo by Hassan is another indication that Haas may turn heel. But I don't think you'd make it this obvious, it makes me re-think that Haas may help Benjamin instead, hmm. Got me guessing, that's good.

The tag team division on RAW is definitely a good one. This team of Doane and Nemeth is a good one. Reminds me of the team Ziggler and Swagger could've become. Really likin' all the activity and emphasis that the tag division is getting so kudos to you on that. Nice little segment here with Flair and Batista, some motivation for The Animal! That being said, I think that Edge will definitely try some funny business in the main event and all hell will break lose, can't wait to see what happens next. Oh and hopefully this is the last we see of Jindrak vs. Show.

What an ending to the show. Christian was definitely going to interfere here and he did. When the match was over, all hell broke loose just like I thought. But I think there should've been a little more emphasis on the action going on between Jericho and Edge. I think this feud is the 3rd biggest feud you have behind the World Title feud and the Christian/Flair feud. Kind of took a while for Batista to get down and help but he did help in a big way. When him and Christian were exchanging punches, I thought that this would be a really great feud. I kind of think that Christian will go over Flair with Batista takin' revenge on Christian, we'll see. Looks like Kane got to Kane here, now the question is whether or not you have HBK at Summerslam. I really think HBK finds a way out of this contract since you can't have him workin' for Bischoff forever.

All in all, a really good episode man. This was definitely better than last week's episode. You put a lot of emphasis on your tag team division which is great since tag team wrestling is fun to watch while the main feuds were furthered even more here. The situation with the World Title is definitely a good one as we now have many questions as to whether or not HBK will even be at Summerslam and how did Kane get to HBK in the first place? But my favorite has got to be Christian/Flair, really likin' this feud man. Christian/'Tista for the World Title, I'm calling it now. (Y):D
 
#157 ·
Opening segment was very strong once again, and I like that you have created a web of different personal rivalries in between the 3 men that are involved in the Summerslam Main Event; none of them like each other and it has made the whole match at Summerslam so unpredictable because I'm not sure what role Michaels is going to play; does he help Bischoff to make his own life easier or does he help Batista to get one over on Bischoff? Great angle you have going here. The promo itself was very strong as usual from the Bischoff point of view and he was well in character also, I can imagine him threatening to kick everyone out of the arena :lmao Batista is not the best on the mic but you've done well these past few Raws to let him have more of a verbal role and expand his skills. Bischoff getting physically involved also adds even more fuel to the fire because we get to see Tista's reaction to it and great to see Kane make his mark also. Strong start to the show.

Not that sure on the Eight Man Tag for tonight because we're getting one at Summerslam and it is going to feature half of the people that are going to be in the one at Summerslam. But the Entity winning was the right move to show their collective strength and solidarity; for example irl, WWE made The Corre look like crap because they lost any time that they teamed together; so the faction has to beat the two tag teams just stuck together. The match itself was very well written and it was a good way to advance all of the rivalries that are in involved. Hassan only wanting in towards the end was good and typical chicken-shit heel champion move, and him getting the sneaky win over Benjamin likes that makes their Summerslam encounter even more mouth watering.

Rod :lmao Great interview with Jericho; you've added a new dimension to the feud that shows Edge not to be as big of a threat that he thinks he is, and gives Jericho the psychological edge (pardon the pun) going into the match at Summerslam. The promo flowed very well and you got the serious side to Jericho out with this, which is also a refreshing change. It seems that the jokes are over in this show because everyone knows that Summerslam is looming; a great air to the show.

Lita getting the victory was a given here, and a nice little match to throw in to bolster her claims to a title shot. Was good for her not to waste any time after she won the match to address Victoria. The back and forth between them was good, and the way they played off of each other shows that there was some good chemistry to what they were saying. Victoria challenging Lita to the Summerslam match doesn't seem right, just because she is a heel champion. But good to see that the ladies are going to get a showing at Summerslam; that card is packed by the way! Can't wait to see what you do with it :)

Now I understand why you didn't have Bischoff come out and make the Women's title match... Carrying on with the whole "it is serious now" theme for the show with these almost dark words from Michaels; but it was great reading. These two are the stars of your Raw, with Bischoff being the best character in your BTB by a long shot in my books. I'm not sure if it get physical at Summerslam between these two but it is bound to happen at some stage, and I think I know when it will be judging from our chat the other day.

Kennedy promo was great before his match and I hope that after Summerslam he gets his first proper storyline; as in his vignettes he wasn't scared of insulting half of the roster. Calling the referee a moron :lmao Kennedy is the only person not worrying about Summerslam because he doesn't have a match so I get that he feels he has time to muck around a little. Maven was never going to be any sort of competition for Kennedy and obviously the right move with him getting the win; I can't wait until next week!

The Hassan interview was good, and you did well to just make him look like a total arsehole; completely thinking opposite to what everyone else thought they achieved tonight. The points he made about Haas and Benjamin were interesting and I can't wait to see a response from WGTT as Haasan is certainly trying to stir it between them here.

I know that the Basham Brothers were never popular, but the guys are going to be in one of the biggest shows of the year, maybe writing that they don't even get a reaction could have been replaced by "They come out to a small buzz from the fans". It makes them seem a little inferior (I know they are :lmao) if you say nothing of a reaction; that was something you told me in one of my shows when I started my thread I believe. Anyway, PTP getting the win was a must for this match, because it seems you're grooming them to becoming the next Tag Team Champions, and I think the heels are going to get the win at Summerslam.

First time tonight hearing from Christian or Flair, I feel it could have come a little sooner. The alliance between these two is good to see and I do like on Raw how all of the storylines do overlap and interweave with each other, as it helps you set up more for the future.

I know we talked about Show and Jindrak, and Bischoff seemed to say everything that I did about the whole situation. A No Holds Barred Match will be great for the card as a whole, and I don't think you'll add anything else from the Raw side onto the card after this. The teasing at the HBK/Big Show feud was good but I think if it does happen it will be an undeserved step up for Show; losing to Jindrak and then getting a feud with Shawn Michaels. I'm looking forward to the finale of the Big Show/Jindrak feud (Y)

WOW! Dude, epic ending to the show and this leaves all sorts of questions. First off, the match between Flair and Edge was great, Christian & Tomko's involvement was predictable, and I was a little disappointed that we didn't hear anything from Christian following what he has been doing the past few weeks to try and get one over on Flair. Edge gets a whole load of momentum with the win. Jericho making his presence felt was also predictable but a must,too. Now Batista comes in and this is where it all gets interesting! The brawling was great between everyone and you made Batista look like a total Don in this bit by decimating Tomko and Christian. BUT, the real talking point is what we saw to end the show... a very graphic scene you described, and I really think Kane took that SCM last week very personally. This has thrown a whole new spanner into the works and Summerslam is shaping up to be a HUGE event.

Another really good show and everything was advanced here. It seemed that Christian/Flair took a bit of a back seat tonight and the IC Title and Tag Title feuds were quite a large part of the show. Summerslam is packed on the Raw side of things, and all I hope is that Smackdown is going to be able to match up to it. Great stuff mate (Y)
 
#158 ·
Raw Feedback

Seemed a pretty sensible way to open the show given what went down last week, certainly we need to hear Bischoff's side of things. I wasn't quite sure why at the start of one passage of dialogue you started by mentioning last week then talked about two weeks ago to then come back to last week. That didn't really flow for me. But apart from that Bischoff was fine, got his point across regarding Michaels' actions well. Batista out, and I felt we didn't ear enough from him before Bischoff came back in. I wanted to hear more of Batista's anger and feeling towards Michaels, a full explanation, especially since it's technically a face calling out another face. The rest of segment was set up nicely, again perhaps I wanted to hear more from Batista, but the set up to the low blow and then the chokeslam was executed well. Certainly a different way to kick off a show with the champion down and out at the first commercial.

Pretty solid opener here, and the fact that it provided a preview of sorts for a couple of situations at SummerSlam made it a smart piece of booking. Based on what we heard in the commentary, I actually thought Haas might get the win to prove his credentials somewhat, but with Hassan pinning Benjamin, it was a decision that made a lot of sense. One thing I would say though, I can't for the life of me ever imagine Muhammed Hassan hitting a fallaway slam on Bubba Ray Dudley, especially not 2005 fat bastard Bubba.

Strong interview from Jericho, you certainly put over the kinda theme of the feud as it were, especially with the “Jericho wannabe” phrase. I also liked how much emphasis you placed on Edge's future career prospects riding on him hanging onto the briefcase. It added a sense of desperation to Edge's character ahead of the match. I also appreciated the way Jericho tried to use the opening of the promo to almost turn the tides on Edge, to place the pressure back on him. Can't really fault this tbh, it was so direct and to the point, yet at the same time, there was enough subtleness about it that it posed a few questions for Edge to answer later tonight (I'm assuming?) with his actions. Strongest segment of the show so far.

Not really a whole lot to say about the match, Hemme was never the best in the ring and Lita is on a roll, so understandable that she would get the win here.

Post match was where the intrigue was, and while this certainly advanced the feud and set up the match at SummerSlam, I thought perhaps you had Victoria give in just a little bit too quickly. She was so kinda sneaky and sinister at the start when she came out, to then kinda give in and grant the title match after just a few words about being afraid, it felt just a little bit rushed to me. I dunno what else you could have done differently, certainly all the key elements, Lita proving herself, Victoria fobbing her off, that was all fine, but the payoff was just too quick imo. But yeah, should be a good match at SummerSlam, although I'm intrigued by all the mentions of Trish. Is she somehow gonna make a late appearance and play a part in it all?

While it was certainly good to hear from Bischoff and Michaels regarding the title situation, I think the real interesting part about this was how much emphasis Bischoff placed on how important Michaels was to him and his demands. Bischoff would normally claim Michaels was nothing, but this was certainly the opposite, and it was a rather novel approach to take. One small thing, when you had Bischoff mention Michaels' family and kids, I'd have had a line describing Michaels' emotions at that point. Something subtle like that would have added to the exchange, and I think that's defo something to keep in mind for the future, especially with a guy like Michaels who is a master of using his expressions in promos.

Good to see you put Kennedy to good use, couple of points about the pre match promo. I certainly chuckled at the lost a pound comment, that was pretty funny, but it's not “further a due”, you're looking for “further ado”. As for the match, Maven actually got more offence in that I had thought he would, but obvious Kennedy was gonna get the win to keep his début roll going. Feud for him after SummerSlam plz.

Some pretty good words out of Hassan here, certainly his victory earlier adds a lot of weight to what he had to say. I liked the fact that you had him kinda stir the pot a little more between Haas and Benjamin, this added to the words of commentary earlier certainly give the impression that something is gonna go down at SummerSlam between the two. Maybe next week we'll get a bit of in-ring shenanigans between the two to build on what we've seen this week?

While I appreciate that Nemeth and Doane are the new up and coming team on the scene, I thought we'd have a Basham's victory here to even up the score from the match earlier between The Entity and The Dudleys. Although the Dudleys weren't involved in the decision, it was still a loss for their half of the eight man, and this was another one here. And not only that, it was pretty clean too. I dunno, I just can't help but think that a Basham win here would have served you better booking wise heading into SummerSlam, but I guess there's time to change that before the big show.

Nice little pep talk from Flair here, at least it showed Batista in a more defiant light given what happened at the top of the show. Flair readying himself for an appearance from Christian and almost asking for Batista's help made sense, and I'm assuming there'll be a brawl and a chance for 'Tista to get some heat back. Nothing major, but a nice little spot that sets up the main event well.

Wow, Jindrak and Show, No Holds Barred? If ya' ask me, that shoulda had much more impact in the announcement of it. It just kinda seemed like an add on here. You could have even just announced the match here then saved the stipulation for next week. Anyway, match should be good, Jindrak has been a real star in this thread (where is he tonight, btw?) and I'm sure he'll come out of SummerSlam strongly. Michaels was used well here, and in this segment you did a much better job of describing his attitude and expressions, the reluctance to square up to Show, that was all done much better here. But where oh where is Shawn off to at the end?

And it's main event time. The action was certainly enjoyable, especially that double axe handle from the top rope spot, can't say I remember seeing that from Flair all that often. I liked the little tease near the finish with Christian's music, usually that would've been enough of a distraction for Edge to steal it, but nice of you to change it up a bit and have Flair survive that. While I don't disagree with the outcome of the match, there is one thing I'll disagree with. We heard before the match that Batista would have Flair's back. Why did it then take him so long to get involved? I mean, we had Christian and Tomko out, they waited, then we had Tomko on the apron, and then finally Christian hit the chair shot. Given that we just heard from Batista before the match, he should've been out much sooner imo. He could have even taken the fight to Christian and Tomko during the match, and in the confusion, Edge got the win, which you could have still chalked up to Christian's involvement. But yeah, good to see that given how the show started, Batista seemed to be back on top by the end of it.

Oh hullo, what's happened to Shawn? Ah wait... is maybe the reason it took Batista so long to hit the ring 'cause he was busy layin' a whoopin' on Michaels? Or do you credit it to Kane? Hmmm... nice little way to end things. Really looking forward to the explanation for it.

Overall, a really solid show, certainly continued to build towards SummerSlam nicely. A few things I disagreed with booking wise, but I think you've still got enough time to change my mind on a few feuds before we get to the big show. Overall, there wasn't a whole lot to fault, and the ending was very strong, and there's a real hook to tune in for next week, and you know I will be doing so. :)
 
#159 ·
WWE Friday Night Smackdown Preview- 12/8/05- New Haven; Connecticut​

It’s the penultimate stop on the road to Summerslam for the stars of Friday Night Smackdown as we head to New Haven, Connecticut ahead of a blockbuster main event.

Last week saw the WWE Championship match for Summerslam made official as Kurt Angle finally got his wish, a one on one shot at the Doctor of Thuganomics, John Cena. The champion vowed that they would settle their differences come Summerslam, man to man, face to face, something the Wrestling Machine’s been begging for only Angle didn’t opt for that route one week ago as the Olympic Gold Medalist blindsided Cena from behind, proceeding to beat down the champion backstage. Tonight Cena and Angle WILL meet face to face on opposite sides of the ring in tag team action.

Cena and Angle’s partners tonight? Two men who also got physical last week, Randy Orton and The Undertaker. The Deadman returned to action for the first time in over four months as he defeated Chris Masters but it was post match where the Legend Killer struck, delivering a message that he was no longer intimidated, no longer threatened by the mind games of the Phenom before stating that it was his turn to play some games around here. With that the lights went out and Orton took down the Deadman from behind, delivering a thunderous RKO. Orton will team with Kurt Angle tonight, both men having huge momentum but their challengers, the WWE Champion and the Demon of Death Valley will no doubt want payback for what transpired last week.

Also tonight we have learned that kicking off the show will be the debut of a brand new talk show, Carlito’s Cabana. Last week the Apple Spitter picked up another big win, defeating the United States Champion, Matt Hardy in tag team action. Carlito’s first guest on the Cabana? None other than that man himself, the United States Champion. What will Carlito have in store on the debut edition of his very own talk show? And will Matt Hardy look to spoil Carlito’s party?

Last week saw a whole new side emerge to Rob Van Dam as Mr.Friday Night verbally lashed out on both Teddy Long and his friend Rey Mysterio. Long informed Van Dam that his investigation into MNM’s victory at the Bash was closed following security tape evidence that the masked assailant was NOT Melina. Van Dam refused to accept it, claiming he would find the truth out on his own and has now began his own investigation. Well tonight that investigation will be put on hold as Van Dam teams with Rey Mysterio to take on Jamie Noble and Kid Kash, the Pitbulls. Can Van Dam put MNM to the back of his mind? We will find out tonight.

Two weeks ago JBL promised us that he would make an impact following repeated losses in his quest for the WWE title and last week the ‘Wrestling God’ delivered as he viciously assaulted the undefeated Bobby Lashley. Lashley has dominated the competition since arriving on Smackdown and for the first time last week was left floored by Bradshaw’s actions. Will the ‘Real Deal’ have any response to JBL’s assault? Or will the Wall Street Warrior add insult to injury?

All this and much more tonight on Smackdown!!


Confirmed for tonight’s show:

John Cena and The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle and Randy Orton

Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio vs. The Pitbulls

Plus;

Kicking off Smackdown, the debut of ‘Carlito’s Cabana’


Massive thanks as ever for the Raw feedback chaps, much appreciated. Look for this to be up Monday or Tuesday i would think.
 
#160 ·

WWE Friday Night Smackdown- 12/8/05- New Haven; Connecticut​

The opening video plays for all to see before the explosive pyro hits and we’re welcomed to Smackdown by Michael Cole and Tazz.

Michael Cole: We are just NINE nights away from the biggest party of the summer, Summerslam and tonight Friday Night Smackdown brings you a blockbuster main event as the Legend Killer Randy Orton teams with the Wrestling Machine Kurt Angle to take on the WWE Champion John Cena and The Undertaker!!

Tazz: Absolutely freakin’ HUGE main event Cole. John Cena, The Undertaker, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, four of the very best in this business goin’ at it here tonight. I cannot wait for that one.

‘Cool’​

It’s immediate heat as the music of the Apple Spitter hits and out steps Carlito, dressed in one of his outrageous Hawaiian shirts, wearing a broad grin and we get a look inside the ring where we see what appears to be a Hammock as well as several pine cones and some rather outrageous palm trees as there are two deck chairs also laid out.

Michael Cole: But folks we are kicking things off with the man who seven nights ago defeated the United States Champion Matt Hardy. Carlito propelled himself right into title contention last week Tazz and tonight marks the debut of Carlito’s Cabana, his guest? None other than Matt Hardy.

Tazz: Gonna be a heck of a confrontation right here Cole. Carlito has been on a roll right the way since Wrestlemania, Matt Hardy’s been on that same roll too and if these two men go toe to toe for that United States title, something’s gotta give!

Lito now has a microphone as he stands inside the ring, that grin etched upon his face as his music dies down and he begins to talk.

Carlito: Ladies and gentleman it’s Carlito’s pleasure to introduce to ju the very FIRST edition of CARLITO’S CABANA!!

Lito parades his set to the crowd, looking incredibly excited as he‘s already drawing pretty strong boos.

Carlito: It’s about damn time Carlito had his own talk show right? And ju know what? We’re gonna kick dis thing off in style because Carlito’s guest tonight, ha ha. Carlito’s guest tonight is the man he BEAT last week in the middle of dis ring, the man who is the current, let Carlito reiterate dat point, he is the current United States Champion, Matt Hardy.

Big pop for the mention of Hardy as Lito nods his head, a little disgruntled now.

Carlito: But before Carlito brings his guest out, Carlito’s got some other things he’d like to talk about. Carlito would like to talk about…well, CARLITO!!

Lito begins grinning once again, the boos quick to return.

Carlito: See Carlito doesn’t believe he’s getting the recognition he deserves around here. Ever since Wrestlemania all Carlito has done is come down to dis ring week after week, month after moth and take on every challenger in his path. Each and every one of those challengers all have one thing in common…they all LOST to Carlito.

More heat for the Apple Spitter.

Carlito: B-b-but has dat got Carlito anywhere? No, das got Carlito absolutely nowhere because dat incompetent General Manager of ours Teddy Long, he-he doesn’t understand talent. Das right, Teddy Long wouldn’t know what talent was if it came and slapped him in the face.

Carlito laughs at his own joke.

Carlito: Instead Teddy Long likes to give opportunities to mediocre guys, to undeserving guys. Instead Teddy Long likes to give opportunities to people like-like Matt Hardy and ju know what? Carlito’s getting pretty sick and tired of it all. And for dat very reason Matt Hardy is Carlito’s very first guest on Carlito’s Cabana here tonight because when he comes down dat ramp, steps through those ropes and comes face to face with Carlito, he’s gonna hear the truth about himself, he’s gonna hear the truth about dat United States title and he’s gonna hear the truth about what’s gonna happen when the spotlight’s on him and he can’t handle it. He's gonna hear about how he falls SHORT and he LOSES to the real talent on Friday nights… Carlito.

Lito begins to laugh before taking a bite on his apple before…

‘Oh Yeahhhhhhhh’​

‘Live for the Moment’​

Lito is stopped in his tracks as the music of his guest hits and out comes Matt Hardy looking in a pretty buoyant mood as Lito almost spits his apple out and Hardy heads down to the ring, taking a microphone as Carlito finishing getting his apple down.

Matt Hardy: You’re uh, you’re the 'true talent' on Friday nights, did I, did I hear that correctly?

Hardy’s now the one to have a little laugh to himself.

Matt Hardy: Carly, I can call you Carly right? Carly all you are is a loudmouth, self centred, egomaniac who just-who just can’t quite live up to the hype aren't ya?

Carlito looks horrified as the fans pop big for that.

Matt Hardy: You look surprised but it’s true. See you came to the WWE with a whole lot of hype around you, people were expecting big things right from the get go weren’t they? The son of the great Carlos Colon, you must’ve expected big things yourself right? Your family, your father must’ve expected big things from you but Carly here we a…

Carlito: Hey, hey ju don’t bring Carlito’s father into dis!! Ju don’t bring Carlito’s family into this!! W-what are ju getting at here Matt? Huh? What point are ju trying to make exactly?

Matt Hardy: Point I’m tryin’ to make Carly is that you’ve been here nearly a year now and despite all the hype, despite all the ‘talent’ you like to think you have, what’ve you got to show for it? What’ve you done since you came to Smackdown? I’ll tell you what you’ve done, not a DAMN thing.

Nice pop for that.

Matt Hardy: Sure you won this United States title, you won it on your first night in the company but there’s a phrase out there that fits pretty nicely to go along with that Carly, it’s called ‘beginners luck’. The man you beat for this title, well he won the thing right back a month later from ya and since then? Since then he’s gone on to actually DO something. Since then John Cena has go on to become the WWE Champion while you? All you’ve done is fall further and further down the food chain.

Lito begins to smirk.

Carlito: Ju’re a funny guy Matt, real funny guy. Beginners luck huh? On Carlito’s first night in the company he achieved more than ju’ve done in jur ENTIRE CAREER!!

Lito looks quite angry now as Hardy’s face turns serious.

Carlito: Ju wanna call Carlito a failure? Ju wanna say Carlito hasn’t lived up to the hype? Look in the mirror Matt. People thought ju were gonna be a big star, dey saw ju when ju were with jur little brother, dey saw the high flying, daredevil Hardy Boyz and dey saw two future stars, dey saw two guys destined for the top.

Carlito begins to shake his head.

Carlito: But Carlito? Carlito never saw dat. All Carlito saw was a guy who was living off of his brother.

Ooooooh.

Carlito: Das right. All Carlito saw was a leech, ju lived off jur brother’s crazy little stunts. Ju lived on being just a Hardy boy. All Carlito saw was Jeff and his brother, all Carlito saw when he looked at ju was second best and here we are and well, whadda ju know? Ju are STILL second best.

Heat again for Lito as Hardy looks a little pissed off.

Matt Hardy: Alright, so maybe it’s taken me a little longer to get where I wanna be. Maybe I didn’t win gold on my first night around here but since that first night, since that first time I stepped inside this ring, I have worked, I have clawed, I have fought my way up and now? Now I’m right where I wanna be Carly, I’m holdin’ one of the most prestigious championships in this industry and hey, you might not wanna believe it but I…I do. I am on the cusp, I am on the brink of getting to that next level and I can tell you right here, right now that I’m gonna make it a long, long time before you ever even come close.

Hardy gets right into Lito’s face but the Apple Spitter backs off, the crowd riled up.

Carlito: Really? Ju really believe dat ju can reach the top around here Matt? Ju really think ju’re better than Carlito? How bout ju prove it? How bout ju put dat United States title on the line against Carlito?

A few cheers as the fans wanna see Hardy kick Lito’s ass.

Matt Hardy: Am I supposed to back down or something here? Am I really supposed to be afraid of takin’ you on? I don’t think you understand that I will take on ANYBODY for this championship, I thrive on proving myself to all the doubters out there, proving myself to people like you, I‘ve done it all my career, I‘ve done it all my life. Carlito you’re on, Summerslam, me and you for this United States title and I will prove there and then that Matt Hardy? Matt Hardy is… for… REAL.

Hardy is intense here as Lito tosses his apple up and down.

Carlito: Matt all ju’re gonna prove at Summerslam is dat talk is cheap. Words, dey don’t mean anything unless ju can back ‘em up. Carlito will ALWAYS back ‘em up. How does, how does da saying go Matt? Actions speak louder than words, something like dat right? Well Carlito…is all action.

BAM!! LITO THROWS A LEFT HAND BUT HARDY BLOCKS IT!! Hardy now starts to unload with right hands as Carlito has no response!! Kick to the mid section and a ROAR to the crowd, TWIST OF FATE!!! NO!! LITO SHOVES HARDY AWAY AND EXIT’S THE RING!! Lito hightails it out of dodge!!

Michael Cole: So much for action from Carlito!! Matt Hardy making a statement here tonight!! Matt Hardy IS for real and at Summerslam he wants to prove it!!

Hardy raises his United States title up high, his music blaring as his eyes are firmly fixed on Carlito who backs up the ramp, clutching his jaw as he shakes his head having failed to get one over on his rival tonight.

Michael Cole: Well at Summerslam we will now find out!! Is Matt Hardy for real? Is Carlito gonna live up to the hype? What a heated confrontation here tonight Tazz! The first ever Carlito’s Cabana and now a HUGE match set for Summerslam!

Tazz: Big time confrontation indeed baby and both of these two guys have got a point to prove come Summerslam now. Carlito’s been unstoppable of late, Matt Hardy’s been just as unstoppable, at Summerslam one of ‘em is gonna have their run come to a halt and I can’t freakin’ wait. Gonna be awesome when we head to Washington D.C.

Hardy holds his U.S. title aloft one more time as he stands by the ropes smirking at Lito who looks a little taken aback here as Hardy has stolen the spotlight on the first edition of Carlito’s Cabana.

Commercials​

We return and head backstage where we join Josh Matthews who is standing by ready to give us our first interview of the evening.

Josh Matthews: Ladies and gentleman joining me at this time, please welcome the WWE Champion, John Cena!!

Cena appears into shot looking PISSED off as the crowd makes a lot of noise for the champion.

Josh Matthews: John last week you and Kurt Angle came to terms on a match for Summerslam where you will defend the WWE Championship against the Wrestling Machine. Later on that night Kurt would go on to viciously attack you from behind, my question to you is how are you now feeling one week on?

Cena looks around, in front of him, then behind him before turning his direction back to Matthews.

John Cena: Sorry, sorry I just had to check around incase ya know, that little bitch Kurt Angle jumps me from behind again.

Ooooooh.

John Cena: How am I feeling? Josh I’m feeling fired…up. I’m feeling fired up and I’m feeling ready to go out there tonight and WHIP KURT ANGLE’S ASS ALL OVER CONNECTICUT!!

Nice pop as the champ really is fired up in a big way.

John Cena: See Kurt likes to make statements, he likes to make claims. He claims that I(Cena laughs) that I'm afraid of goin’ face to face with him. That I’m a coward, that I'm scared of facin’ him. Well last week I stood in that ring out there and I called Kurt Angle out, I called him out to fight. But Kurt didn’t come knocking, naw, he got what he wanted, he got a shot at this and then he simply…walked away.

Boos ring round now.

John Cena: I find it real funny Josh that I’m bein’ called a coward, that I’m bein’ called a ‘false’ champion, that I supposedly won’t take on any and all challenges by a guy who…by a guy who attacked me from behind last week, who took me out when my back was turned. THAT was the ultimate act of cowardice. THAT was the act of a man who is truly runnin’ scared and THAT was the act of a man who knows, who KNOWS that at Summerslam, he’s gonn’ get found out, he’s gonn’ get his ass beat and he’s gonn’ run off with his tail between his legs because the champ will STILL…be here.

Massive pop again for a very intense Cena here tonight.

John Cena: Tonight? (Cena laughs) Tonight is gonna be just a small taster of what I do to Kurt Angle at Summerslam so Kurt I ain’t gonn’ sneak attack you, I ain’t gonn’ hit you when your back is turned. I’m gonn’ stand right in that ring, right in your face and I’m gonn’ beat your ass…like a real man.

Cena then spins his belt before heading off and we return ringside.

‘A Country Boy Can Survive’​

It’s small heat but heat nonetheless as The Pitbulls make their way out with Jamie Noble and Kid Kash looking as fiercely determined as ever, all set for action.

Michael Cole: Strong words there from John Cena but Tazz back to the action and last week saw these two men Kid Kash and Jamie Noble pick up a huge win over the Mexicools. What would another victory tonight do for the Pitbulls?

Tazz: It’d put ‘em right in line for a shot at those WWE Tag Team Titles that’s what it’d do Cole. These two dudes are hugely talented and hugely underrated. Kash and Noble can go and they’ll prove it again tonight.

‘One of a Kind/619 Remix’​

Van Dam and Rey come out, Mysterio fast paced as ever but Van Dam really doesn’t look like he wants to be there, hands on his hips, a pissed off look on his face as he strolls leisurely down alongside Rey Rey.

Michael Cole: And here come two men who’ve had quite the opposite in recent weeks to that of the Pitbulls. Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam coming off the back of a demoralising defeat at the Bash with Rob Van Dam showing a side of himself that well, we’ have never seen before.

Tazz: I’ve known Rob a long time Cole and I ain’t never seen him this way before. Van Dam is furious and he’s convinced MNM screwed him and Rey at the Bash and y’know? I believe he’s gonna do ANYTHING he can to prove it.

Match One: Tag Team Match

The Pitbulls vs. Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio

It’s Mysterio who starts things out as Van Dam doesn’t appear too fussed to be on the outside whilst it’s Kid Kash who begins the match for the Pitbulls. It’s high paced, high energy stuff with several arm drags from Mysterio preventing Kash getting any momentum as Mysterio then whips Kash into the ropes but Kash reverses and Mysterio rebounds TAKING KASH DOWN WITH A TILTAWHIRL HEADSCISSORS!! Beautiful stuff early on from Mysterio, the Connecticut crowd right behind the Ultimate Underdog as Kash is floored.

Kash is quickly to his feet however and races at Rey but the Master of the 619 keeps momentum, dropping Kash with an arm drag, followed by another before Mysterio begins to hammer away, strong kicks right across the mid section of Kash who is grimacing, in some discomfort here as Mysterio gains full control. Irish whip by Mysterio now as Kash collides in the corner, Rey comes a charging but NOBODY HOME!! Kash rolls outta the way, he turns round and clubs Mysterio with a corner clothesline!! Kash now looks to pick apart Rey, working over his opponent, shoulders into the gut of Rey before beginning an array of kicks to the mid section as Mysterio slumps to the corner.

Kash then works over the former Cruiserweight Champion, striking with some strong right hands and nice forearm shots that Mysterio has no answer to before Kash drops Rey dead centre of the ring with a nice vertical suplex before he drags Rey’s body over towards his corner, tagging in Jamie Noble. We get a shot of Rob Van Dam who looks disinterested in his partner’s predicament, looking around the crowd almost as though he’s lost while Noble continues to work over Rey before locking the Ultimate Underdog into a sleeper hold. Noble trying to keep the high flier grounded here.

Mysterio tries with all his might to battle out of the sleeper hold, the crowd urging him and Rey fights with all he’s got, Noble showing a fierce determination though to keep the hold in but Rey’s digging in, elbows to the mid section of Noble, the Pitbull’s grip breaking and Mysterio finally breaks free!! The crowd in Connecticut pop big time as Noble picks himself back up, Mysterio runs the ropes, Noble ducks underneath the charging Mexican, Rey runs through, SPRINGBOARD CROSSBODY!! Into a cover, 1...2...KASH BREAKS THE COUNT!!

Kid Kash saves the match there for his team as both Noble and Mysterio are down here, Mysterio though crawling towards his partner, the crowd desperate for Van Dam to make the tag but Mr.Friday Night doesn’t appear too concerned as he watches on at his partner. Jamie Noble is now dragging himself to his feet, using the ropes to help him up AS MYSTERIO TAGS VAN DAM IN!! Van Dam steps through the ropes, the crowd going crazy, Noble makes the tag too and here comes Kash!! Kash is reluctant though and stands off Van Dam who simply watches Kash get in the ring, an ‘R-V-D’ chant has begun but Van Dam simply stares at Kash who looks ready to go here. Mysterio is encouraging Van Dam on here but Van Dam puts his head down, seemingly then saying to himself ‘No’ before HE TAPS MYSTERIO ON THE BACK, TAGGING REY IN!! Van Dam has had enough and Van Dam HEADS OFF THE APRON AND UP THE RAMP!! Mysterio’s gonna go it alone!!

Mysterio is shocked, so too are the Pitbulls as Mysterio looks on up the ramp, asking Van Dam where he’s going but Van Dam simply walks away to some heat from the crowd here, MNM matters still clearly inside his head as we the…MYSTERIO ROLLED UP FROM BEHIND!! KASH HAS GOT THE TIGHTS!! 1...2...3...PITBULLS WIN!!


Winners: The Pitbulls(8:01)

Kash and Noble score big time as they duck out the ring elated after that victory while there’s confusion in the arena and on Mysterio’s face as Van Dam heads through the curtain.

Michael Cole: HUGE win for the Pitbulls!! But Tazz what on earth is going on with Rob Van Dam?!

Tazz: I-I-I’m stumped Cole, really I don’t know what’s goin’ on inside Van Dam’s head here but it can’t be good for him and it damn sure wasn’t good for Rey Mysterio here tonight.

We see Mysterio who is laying down on the mat, looking up the ramp but there is no sign of Van Dam, only the Pitbulls who back up celebrating another big victory as they seek tag team glory.

Commercials​

Narrator: The biggest party of the summer.

The Summerslam logo appears across the screen as the Summerslam theme plays in the background.

Narrator: High pressure, high stakes.

We see a shot of Batista raising the World title high before a shot of a dejected Shawn Michaels.

Narrator: Who can overcome these obstacles?

We see Kurt Angle locking in the Ankle Lock on Randy Orton.

We then see Kane chokeslamming Chris Jericho.

Narrator: Who can stand tall?

We see John Cena FU’ing JBL.

Narrator: Who can rise to the occasion?

We see Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas celebrating.

Narrator: Who can handle… the heat?

We see a smirking Christian before an angered Ric Flair.

Batista: At Summerslam.

Flashing shot of the Animal landing a Batistabomb.

Edge: At Summerslam.

A brief shot of Edge delivering a Spear.

Randy Orton: At Summerslam.

The Legend Killer delivering an RKO is shown.

Ric Flair: At SUMMERSLAM! WOOO!

Flair locking in the Figure Four is then shown briefly.

Kurt Angle: At Summerslam.

We then see Angle locking in the Ankle lock, wrenching the hold in.

John Cena: At Summerslam.

It’s Cena’s turn then as we see the WWE champion deliver a thunderous FU.

Christian: The heat…is on.

A shot of a desert like scene is then shown as the Summerslam logo then appears again before…

Narrator: Summerslam: Can you handle the heat?​


We then head off backstage where we see Rob Van Dam walking through the back, looking as frustrated a figure as we’ve ever seen him before Kristal Marshall approaches him from behind.

Kristal Marshall: Rob, Rob!! Everybody wants to know exactly why you just walked out on your partner Rey Mysterio?

Van Dam huffs and puffs.

Rob Van Dam: Why do you think Kristal? I mean c’mon, my head’s not in the game right now. Teddy Long knows that and yet he still puts me in a match out there tonight. I mean, seriously dude? I can’t go out there and give it my all, I can’t be the Rob Van Dam these people know and love. Yeah I walked out on Rey tonight but he knows it was nothing personal, this is ALL to do with MNM and until I get to the truth, I’m not gonna be able to give my all, both for myself and for Rey.

Van Dam goes to walk away but Kristal follows.

Kristal Marshall: Well Rob how close exactly are you to finding out the truth?

Rob Van Dam: If I was close, you really think I’d be in this much of a hurry to get away from you? I’m sorry Kristal but you, Josh Matthews, Teddy Long, hell, people even walking down the street!! Everybody keeps on getting involved in my business, keeps on asking me questions, ’What’s wrong Rob?’ ’Why are you acting this way?’ Well y’know what I am SICK…and tired of all that kinda crap so sweetheart, if ya wouldn’t mind? PLEASE…just back off.

Wow. Van Dam gets a little bit of heat for this as Kristal looks taken aback also and Van Dam heads off, a spring in his step as he clearly has ‘work’ to do here, keeping it short and sweet for everyone tonight. We then head back ringside to hear…

‘Longhorn’​

It’s a ton of heat already as the trademark white limousine pulls out into the arena and out steps the man himself, a broad smile etched across his face as John Bradshaw Layfield arrives on the scene set for action.

Michael Cole: Last week Tazz this man promised us all that he’d make an impact and he did exactly that, launching a SICKENING assault on Bobby Lashley.

Tazz: Was nasty stuff from JBL last week Cole but he did what he promised to do. He made a big time impact and I think not only Bobby Lashley but the entire Smackdown locker room will have taken note. JBL is lookin’ up again and it starts with Bobby Lashley.

‘How Do You like me Now?’​

It’s practically silence as Hardcore Holly makes his way out, set to take on another old timer in JBL.

Tazz: Cole, Hardcore Holly is a tough dude, he really is BUT if I would not wanna be anywhere near JBL right now. Bradshaw is focused, he’s determined, he’s ready to make another statement tonight. You can be sure of that.

Michael Cole: Hardcore Holly is no slouch though Tazz, you said it yourself. I’m sure we’ll find out just how serious JBL is here tonight about his climb back to the top on Friday nights. I just hope Hardcore Holly doesn’t suffer the same fate as Bobby Lashley.

Match Two: Singles Match

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Hardcore Holly

Bradshaw looks pretty determined here tonight, a stern look on his face as he eyes up Bob Holly from the opposite side of the ring and from here on out it’s all about the former WWE Champion sending yet another message as he dominates Holly from the get go.

Holly looks to take the fight to JBL but gets picked off as the Wall Street Warrior gets physical, displaying some venomous right hands, knocking Holly back towards the corner with Holly having no answer for the brutality of the ‘Wrestling God’. A series of kicks up against the turnbuckle send Holly slumped down into the corner as JBL smirks for the first time tonight. Holly is poised right now as Bradshaw takes a few steps back before charging and taking Holly’s head off with a boot to the face!! Thunderous impact from JBL as Holly looks dazed right now.

JBL continues to pick apart Holly, dominating him with more stern rights before a couple of hard scoop slams as the crowd boo the former champion as he continues to rile them up. Holly begins to show some kind of fight, Bradshaw perhaps taking too long to try and put him away and Holly responds with some rights of his own before a rake of the eyes from Bradshaw!! Holly’s blinded momentarily before GETITNG KNOCKED DOWN WITH A THUNDEROUS BIG BOOT!! Holly’s head is taken off as JBL looks at him with disgust before clearly wanting this over with as he brings Holly up, positions him before running the ropes and dismantling him with a CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL! Another fiercely determined look from JBL before he drops into the cover and gets the three count for a convincing win.


Winner: John Bradshaw Layfield(4:11)

Michael Cole: Statement made here tonight from JBL, an emphatic victory over Hardcore Holly but I’ve got no doubts that when Bobby Lashley gets his hands on the former WWE Champion, it’ll be a completely different ball game. Lashley will want payback on JBL.

Tazz: Absolutely Cole. Lashley is just…just a freak of nature and when he and Bradshaw lock horns, it’s gonna be a blockbuster.

Bradshaw kicks Holly out of the ring, a look of disgust across his face for Holly even thinking he stood a chance here tonight. The Wrestling God has a microphone in hand and already the Connecticut faithful are on his back as he gets set to speak.

John Bradshaw Layfield: Two weeks ago I vowed that I was going to make a HUGE impact. I promised the world that I was going to make a definitive statement and last week? Ha ha, last week yours truly delivered on that promise.

A ‘You Suck’ chant has now built up.

John Bradshaw Layfield: I took a man who is quite frankly… a freak of nature and I absolutely, positively, ain’t no two ways about it, WIPED THE FLOOR…with him.

Big time heat as Layfield lets out that grin of his.

John Bradshaw Layfield: Bobby Lashley, two hundred seventy plus pounds of sheer DOMINANCE. A guy who has walked into the WWE and he has taken it by storm. Everybody is talkin’ about this kid, about how he is and I quote, the ‘Real Deal’. Well last week I showed you all just how real Bobby Lashley is.

Layfield is quite intense now.

John Bradshaw Layfield: I came to this ring and I delivered him the beating of a LIFETIME!! Bobby Lashley is about as real as FREAKIN’ SUPERMAN!! I promised to make an impact, I promised to make a statement and good GOD ALMIGHTY didn’t I just?

More strong heat for Jibbles here.

John Bradshaw Layfield: But that? That isn’t enough for me, no, no. See last week showed a few doubters that JBL is still very much on top around this place but I need to do more, I gotta go one better. Incase you people forgot, I am a WRESTLINGGGGGGGGGG GAWDDDDDDDD and at Summerslam, I wanna prove it, I wanna shut the doubters up once and for all.

Layfield nods as he’s seemingly thrown down the gauntlet.

John Bradshaw Layfield: So I’m gonna make this real simple. Bobby Lashley, the undefeated, unstoppable powerhouse. The supposed ‘Real Deal‘, I’m puttin’ the challenge to ya kid, me and you, Summerslam, I want an answer and I want it…right now.

Bradshaw has indeed laid down the challenge as he await’s a reply from Lashley here. Will the young challenger accept the fight.

‘Hell Will be Callin’ your Name’​

Oh he’s about to find out as here comes BOBBY LASHLEY!! LASHLEY CHARGES DOWN TO THE RING AS JBL AWAITS HIM!! JBL AND LASHLEY GONNA GO TOE TO TOE HERE!!

Michael Cole: Bobby Lashley doesn’t look as though he wants to wait til Summerslam!! Bobby Lashley making a beeline for JBL!!

Tazz: I told ya this was gonna be blockbuster!!

Lashley storms into the ring BUT JBL SLIDES UNDER THE BOTTOM ROPE!! BRADSHAW RUNS UP THE RAMP TO THUNDEROUS HEAT!!

Michael Cole: Oh you gotta be kidding me?! So much for wanting to prove yourself huh, so much for wanting to make another statement.

Bradshaw raises the mic to address B-Lash.

John Bradshaw Layfield: You think I’m stupid huh? Do ya? I’m not gonna fight you tonight, I‘m not gonna fight you unprepared. All I want from you tonight… is an answer, all I want from you is to step inside the ring at Summerslam with one of THE all time legends in this business.

There’s a shit load of heat for that statement.

John Bradshaw Layfield: I want you to be put to the test, I wanna show these people how FAKE you really are, how much of a FRAUD you really are Bobby and I wanna do it when the pressure’s on, the lights are shinin’ bright, I wanna do it on the big stage, not here tonight in front of all these ingrates.

Oh Layfield knows how to push these fans buttons.

John Bradshaw Layfield: So what’s it to be huh? You got the guts to face me Bobby? You got the nerve to try your luck with the greatest of ‘em all?

Lashley grabs a mic off of Tony Chimel.

Bobby Lashley: If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I’ve got the guts and I’ve got the nerve to take on… ANYBODY.

Nice pop as it’s the first time we’ve really heard from Lashley on Smackdown.

Bobby Lashley: I accept your challenge and when Summerslam’s over and done with, you will know that Bobby Lashley is far from fake and you’ll know that Bobby Lashley is NO fraud. Bobby Lashley is nothing…but the ‘Real Deal’.

Another nice pop for the powerhouse who appears to be done talking here, the match all set for August 21st. JBL though then begins to smile and starts clapping.

John Bradshaw Layfield: Congratulations kid, congratulations.

Layfield then stops clapping and the smile disappears as he turns deadly serious, taking a second.

John Bradshaw Layfield: You just signed your own death wish.

Bradshaw then drops the mic and exits through the curtain, an intense look on both he and Lashley’s faces as Lashley’s music hits and the crowd recognise the combustible situation they just witnessed, Lashley pandering to them as they cheer for the ‘Real Deal’.

Michael Cole: Another MAJOR match up set for Summerslam!! The undefeated Bobby Lashley will go toe to toe with JBL!! Tazz it is gonna be a huge night for Lashley come August 21st.

Tazz: Biggest night of this young dude’s career and we’ll see exactly what Lashley’s made of come Summerslam. JBL’s got a point to prove, Lashley’s got a point to prove, the score’s gonna be settled in less than two weeks Cole, I can’t freakin’ wait for this one!!

Commercials​

We return and immediately see Josh Matthews stood backstage ready to speak to us.

Josh Matthews: Ladies and gentleman joining me at this time, the Legend Killer, Randy Orton.

Orton appears into shot, dressed to compete ahead of his tag match later on. The Legend Killer wears a wry smile as the crowd boo the former World Champion.

Josh Matthews: Randy last week you made it abundantly clear that this time around you are not going to fall foul to The Undertaker’s mind games and that the Deadman himself needs to be on his toes. Do you believe the message you sent last week will have put The Undertaker on notice?

Randy Orton: Last week had to put The Undertaker on notice Josh because he now knows, he now fully understands that I’m not gonna fall for his little tricks, I’m not gonna get involved in any of his games. This time around he’s the one who’s gonna be on the receiving end, he’s going to have to deal with my own mind games. I’m gonna get inside his head like nobody before, it started last week and tonight? Tonight I guarantee it continues.

Orton has a stern look on his face now, much change from his arrogant look earlier on.

Randy Orton: I caught The Undertaker off guard last week, my plan worked to absolute perfection, The Undertaker just did not see it coming. Tonight he’s gonna be a little more ready for it, he’s gonna be a little more prepared but that will count for absolutely nothing. It won’t matter at all because the end result tonight will be the exact same as it was at Judgment Day and the exact same as it WILL be at Summerslam. Randy Orton defeating…The Undertaker.

Nice heat there for Orton’s statement.

Randy Orton: When I’m through with him at Summerslam though, it’ll be a little different. At Summerslam I’m not just going to beat The Undertaker, I am going to FINISH The Undertaker, once and for all, the Deadman…will be no more. No more gong, no more lights out, no more lightening bolts, no more CRAP coming my way, all that’ll be left is another legend KILLED…at the hands of Randy Orton.

More strong heat.

Josh Matthews: Well Randy regarding your match tonight, you don’t just face The Undertaker, you face the WWE Champion John Cena. Any concerns at all regar…

Randy Orton: Any conc..(starts laughing) Any concerns…regarding John Cena?

Orton strokes his chin, laughing a little to himself still.

Randy Orton: I will never, let me make this clear to you, I will NEVER have any concerns regarding John Cena. My priority right now is one man and one man only but if John Cena wants to step in my way here tonight? Hey, I got no problem with that, no problem with that at all. Because if John Cena does step in my path here tonight he’ll go the exact same route The Undertaker went last week and you people will not just witness The Undertaker down and out… your precious WWE Champion will join him too.

Orton then heads off, his message loud and clear for all to hear in Connecticut this evening. We then return ringside to hear…

‘MasterPiece’​

We return to the sight of the Masterpiece, Chris Masters making his way down to ringside, greeted with a small amount of heat, fresh off a sterling performance last week against The Undertaker.

Michael Cole: Welcome back ringside and we are all set for a big match up here tonight for both men involved, this man being one of ‘em, the Masterpiece, Chris Masters. Masters went toe to toe last week with The Undertaker in an impressive fashion and he’ll wanna build on that with a win here tonight Tazz.

Tazz: No doubt about it Cole, Masters stepped up his game last week and he ain’t gonna wanna let that defeat hurt him. He took on one of the very best and he gave as good as he got, tonight he’s gotta do the same thing.

‘Stay in Shadow’​

It’s a very nice pop that greets the sound of the former Cruiserweight Champion’s music, Paul London who storms down to the ring, looking set for a big win here this evening.

Michael Cole: Well Chris Masters may need a victory here tonight but there’s no doubting Paul London could do with the same. London was defeated back at the Bash by Gregory Helms for the Cruiserweight Championship and will wanna send a message to the man formerly known as The Hurricane.

Tazz: Absolutely. Paul London was robbed at the Bash and a win here tonight will do nothing but give him all the more confidence that he can take back that Cruiserweight title and that he can get one over on Chavo Guerrero and of course, Gregory Helms.

The match is about to start, the two men circling each other, the bell rings but…

‘Listen, It’s Time’​

The music of Gregory Helms hits and out come the Cruiserweight Champion along with his partner in crime, Chavo Guerrero. There’s confusion on the face of Paul London while Masters doesn’t look too phased. Helms and Guerrero then make their way down towards the announce table and take a headset to join Michael Cole and Tazz.

Michael Cole: Well in a surprising turn of events we are being joined here tonight by the Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms along with Chavo Guerrero. Guys welcome aboard, what brings you out here?

Gregory Helms: Shut up Cole. We ain’t out here to explain ourselves to you, we’re just out here to get a birdseye view of this punk Paul London.

Chavo Guerrero: Tazz good to see you, Cole as Greg just said, please... just keep your mouth shut.

Tazz: You heard ‘em Cole, keep it zipped my man and let these two dudes do the talkin’.

Michael Cole: Well we know that’s not gonna be a problem for either of ’em is it?

Helms and Chavo look at each other fuming.

Gregory Helms: What the HELL did you just say?

Cole shuts up now as Helms and Chavo shake their heads in disgust and this thing finally starts up.

Match Three: Singles Match

Paul London vs. Chris Masters

London looks to start off like a house on fire, taking it to Masters with his usual fast offense and high paced style, strong right hands from the former Cruiserweight Champion before an early cover off of a beautiful dropkick scores London a two count, Masters struggling to cope with the speed of his opponent here.

The tables are soon turned though as London perhaps tries too much, whipping Masters into the turnbuckle, taking a running start before charging at Piece but Masters takes his head off with a clothesline!! London is completely out of it as Gregory Helms applauds on commentary saying ‘That’s the Paul London we’re used to seeing’. Masters now establishes a hold of the match, keeping London grounded, hammering away with nasty kicks to both the right and left leg of London who winces in pain as Masters then runs the ropes himself, smashing a leg drop across London’s mid section. Cover from Masters, kick out at two from the high flier.

Masters brings London to his feet now, clobbering him with several right hands before an Irish whip to his smaller opponent as Chavo notes how London can’t deal with the larger opponent’s power here. London collides into the turnbuckle and Masters smashes a shoulder into his gut, shoulder after shoulder repeatedly into London’s mid section as London gasps out in pain. Masters then drops his Cruiserweight opponent with a nice scoop slam before Piece heads to the top rope, taking a page from London’s book here as Michael Cole questions how wise this is, on the other hand Gregory Helms questioning how wise Cole is.

Masters waits for London to get to his feet, the high flier does so as Masters FLIES HIGH, LONDON WITH A DROPKICK!! DROPKICK IN MID AIR FROM PAUL LONDON!! WOW!! The crowd eat that one up as Masters is floored, it’s taken a bit out of London too who is down as Chavo Guerrero takes off his head set, where’s Chavo going? Chavo begins to wander round the ring, Helms remains on commentary as the men in the ring look to make it to their feet, London doing so first, Masters a little bit behind and he’s met with a boot by London, fast right hands now before an Irish whip. Masters rebounds into a beautiful arm drag, Masters quickly rises, into another arm drag before London strikes with another picture perfect drop kick!

Chavo has now made his way around towards the ramp, the crowd booing the Mexican Warrior while London sets Masters up, boot to the mid section, DDT!! DDT CONNECTS!! London’s headed up top, the crowd are on their feet BUT CHAVO HOPS ONTO THE APRON!! Chavo gets the referee’s attention as Paul London’s set to fly BUT GREGORY HELMS SHOVES LONDON OFF THE TOP!! LONDON FALLS FACE FIRST INTO THE BARRICADE!! Helms then quickly picks London up, Chavo still remonstrating with the referee, Helms lines London up, BAM!! TITLE SHOT TO THE SKULL!! LONDON IS OUT!! Helms then tosses London back inside the ring before strolling round the ring, the crowd shitting all over him and Chavo who hops off the apron. Inside the ring London is out cold as Masters crawls towards the lifeless body of his opponent, arm across his chest, cover…1...2...3...big win for the Masterpiece.


Winner: Chris Masters(7:13)

Michael Cole: DAMN IT!! Paul London had the match won!! Paul London was gonna win this thing only for Chavo Guerrero and Gregory Helms to sink their claws in, Helms using that Cruiserweight title as a damn weapon Tazz!!

Tazz: Brutal from the Cruiserweight Champ Cole, ain’t no two ways about it. Paul London may want that gold back but as long as Helms and Chavo keep this up, London ain’t getting a sniff. These two are smart, they’re calculated and when it comes down to business, they’re brutal. This partnership could DOMINATE the Cruiserweight division for as long as they want.

Helms and Chavo back up the ramp, Helms clutching his title as both men smile, Chavo pointing back at London as the former champ comes to his feet, looking desperately disappointed at being robbed here tonight by his adversaries.

We then head off backstage where we see KURT ANGLE walking around backstage!! The Olympic Gold Medalist looks to be in quite an intense mood as he checks his shoulder, clearly wary that John Cena may be on his tail here tonight. Angle is then approached by Kristal Marshall!

Kristal Marshall: Kurt! Kurt can we get a quick word regarding your attack last week on John Cena?

Angle stops still, looks at Kristal as if to say ‘Are you kidding me?’ before the Wrestling Machine walks away, clearly not ready to give anything away here tonight and Kristal looks on disappointedly having got nothing out of Angle regarding his actions last week.

Commercials​

We return and we’re shown around a Golf course, we see several golfers and their caddies walking around the place before we’re taken inside the club and we see two men lining up with their clubs, waiting to head out to the course presumably. We then cut back to the course where we see two men appear into shot, dressed in golf gear and it’s two men we came to know last week as the cunning duo of JTG and Shad Gaspard, better known as Cryme Tyme come into shot.

JTG: Yo, how much you think we can get then man?

Shad Gaspard: Depends how many we can get, you know the deal right? We do what we gotta do, suckers inside get a seein’ to, we duck out and we make that money real quick baby.

JTG and Shad acknowledge the plan here before they head inside the club where those two men still await. Cryme Tyme get their ‘posh’ act sorted out.


Shad Gaspard: Ah good afternoon gentleman, help you with your clubs?

Golfer 1: About time, we’ve been waiting nearly fifteen minutes for some caddies to arrive. I suppose you two will have to do.

JTG: (Whispering) We got ourselves some punks here dawg, you gonn’ let me hit ‘em wit’ the club or what?

Shad elbows JTG to be quiet.

Shad Gaspard: It would be our pleasure.

Shad and JTG take a bag of clubs each before the four all head out to the course and to the first tee. The first golfer lines up, getting a driver out and taking a practice swing as he and his partner have a laugh and a joke. JTG and Shad though are discussing something.

JTG: How we gonn do this then man? We really gotta sit thru eighteen holes o’ this?

Shad Gaspard: You for real? We ain’t sittin’ thru one of these things man. They gonn’ hit their shots, we gonn’ find one of those buggies over there and we gonn’ head out, a’ight?

JTG: A’ight man, I’ma follow yo’ lead.

The second golfer then takes his shot before both men start walking down towards where their balls have landed. JTG and Shad however begin to head back towards the clubhouse.

Golfer 2: Hey, hey!! Where are you two goin’?

Shad Gaspard: We’re just going to get a buggy, will make things a whole lot easier getting round the course for you two gentleman.

Golfer 1: Alright but I want him to stay with us, I don’t trust two guys like you takin’ our clubs off.

The two men laugh while JTG looks horrified again.

JTG: Shad I’m telling’ you man, I’ma hit ‘em wit’ the clubs, I’MA DO IT!!

Shad Gaspard: Look calm down brother, I’ma get the buggy, you stay wit’ them.

JTG heads off to join them, Shad heading the opposite way.

Golfer 2: Would you hurry up over there? We haven’t got all day.

JTG huffs and puffs.

JTG: You ain’t got all day and in about ten minutes you ain’t got no clubs neither.

Golfer 2: Hey, what did you just say?

Golfer 1: I knew he wanted to take our clubs, I told you!!

The two men look pissed, JTG smiling to himself as right on schedule, Shad comes flying into things on the golf buggy.

Shad Gaspard: We uh, we got a problem here gentleman?

Golfer 2: You’re damn right we got a problem! Your buddy here just threatened to steal our clubs!!

Shad gives JTG a death glare as he shrugs it off. Golfer 1 then rolls his sleeves up, he wants to give JTG a seeing to here!


JTG: What the hell are you doin’ Jack?

Golfer 1: Who you callin’ Jack? I’m gonna teach you that you don’t threaten me, you don’t threaten to take my belongings. I’m not gonna stand back and take that kinda crap from people like you.

Shad Gaspard: Yo, yo, yo, what do you mean people like us?

Golfer 2: What do yo think he means? He means PEOPLE like you.

JTG: Oh, no he didn’t. Shad, baby tell me those words didn’t just come out his mouth.

Shad begins to smile, holding his wrist
.

Shad Gaspard: They did, they did man and they wanna teach us a little lesson right here so hey, seeing as people like us are beneath people like you, how bout you get a free shot? Go right ahead.

Golfer 1 and Golfer 2 get themselves ready, they wanna go here before SWINGING but Shad and JTG GRAB THEM AND TOSS THEM INTO THE BUNKERS!! Shad and JTG wipe their hands of the mess they just caused before putting the clubs in the back of the buggy and they begin to drive off!!


Shad Gaspard: People gotta learn ain’t that right J? People gotta learn not to mess with us. We ain’t takin’ that kinda crap from nobody, white folk, black folk, yellow folk, it don’t matter. We ain’t gonn’ stand back and take that.

JTG: Damn straight baby. And if people do mess with us? Hey, they gonn’ get their asses handed to ‘em and not only that…

Shad Gaspard: Not ONLY that…

JTG: But they gonn’ give us a little gift as a symbol of apology. Just like these clubs right here.

Shad holds his hands up.


Shad Gaspard: Hey, we ain’t …steal… nuttin‘. We got those clubs as an ‘apology’…

JTG: Chyeahhhhhhhh. And pretty soon the entire Smackdown roster? They gonn’ be apologising too, cos although we ain’t steal nuttin’, nine times out of ten? Cryme Tyme still gets…what they want.

And with that JTG and Shad head off in their golf buggy, the golf clubs they desired in the back and we get a message of…


Cryme Tyme: Coming soon to Smackdown!’​


We then return ringside to hear…

‘Can you Dig it? Suckaaaaa’​

And it’s a very warm response as out steps the former 5 time WCW Champion, Booker T!

Michael Cole: Welcome back to Friday Night Smackdown and things continue to remain unresolved between this man Booker T and his long time friend turned bitter rival, Rhyno but Tazz NEXT WEEK it may all come to an end. We have just received word that on Friday Night Smackdown, just forty eight hours before Summerslam we will see the blow off match between Booker T and Rhyno. It’ll be the former WCW Champion taking on the Man Beast in a 2 out of 3 falls match!! There will be NO disputing just who the better man is come the end of next week.

A graphic is displayed for all to see of Booker T vs. Rhyno; 2 out of 3 Falls Match; Next Week!

Tazz: I can’t wait for that one Cole. Booker and Rhyno, they been at each other’s throats for so damn long now, next week it finally comes to an end. These two former friends are gonna tear the crap outta one another next week, gonna be off the charts. We’re in for a treat before we even get to Summerslam!!

‘It wasn’t my Fault’​

Out next comes the ogre of a man we know as Snitsky, a menacing look on his face as he gets set to take on the former WCW Champion.

Tazz: Cole I forgot to say, that’s if Booker makes it to next week!! This dude Snitsky is gonna give him a run for his money here tonight. He is a bad, BAD dude and Booker’s gonna have to get the job done here tonight.

Michael Cole: Indeed Snitsky is a dangerous individual and Booker T knows he’s not gonna be in for an easy ride tonight. I’m sure that with Rhyno right around the corner, Booker’s gonna want to send a message to his rival here tonight.

Match Four: Singles Match

Booker T vs. Snitsky

Booker starts off strongly as the much bigger Snitsky is left on his heels with Booke’s fast paced aggression. The former WCW Champion works over the powerhouse with some quick right hands before pounding away with some vicious kicks to the mid section before a hard clubbing shot pulls Snitsky down. Booker quickly pulls him to his feet and whips the big man into the turnbuckle, Snitsky thundering back off it into the path of Booker who strikes with an expert kick to the jaw, taking Snitsky’s chin off almost as Booker drops into an early cover, kick out at two from Snitsky.

Booker’s eager to finish this one off though and quickly drags Snitsky up, sending him backtracking into the corner as he begins to mount more offense, this time with a string of knife edge chops, met with the usual ‘Woooos’ from the crowd as Snitsky grimaces. Booker then pumps up the crowd, backing away from his opponent and he charges at the big man but Snitsky takes him out with a clothesline!! Booker is fallen and now Snitsky can look to make his mark and all of a sudden there’s a buzz from the fans as RHYNO appears on stage. The ‘Man Beast’ simply remains on stage taking a closer look at his former friend now turned rival here.

Snitsky now works over Booker, hammering away with some devastating kicks to the mid section whilst Booker lays collapsed on the mat, Snitsky showing just how brutal he can be as he delivers a nasty leg drop across Booker’s chest. Snitsky goes for a cover, kick out at two though from Booker as the fans try to rally round the Master of the Spin-a-rooni.

Snitsky looks somewhat angered and brings Booker to his feet, smashing him with a right hand as we get a shot of Rhyno once again on looking, Snitsky then whips Booker across the ring, Booker rebounding and Snitsky goes for a big boot but Booker ducks underneath and spins Snitsky round, BAM! Atomic drop from Booker, Snitsky’s in trouble here, kick to the mid section by Booker, SCISSOR KICK CONNECTS!! Cover by Booker, 1...2...3..big win for Booker T!


Winner: Booker T(5:30)

Michael Cole: BIG win for Booker T as he now looks forward to one week from tonight when he will finally settle the score with Rhyno! How much momentum can Booker take from this win here tonight?

Tazz: A whole heck of a lot if ya ask me Cole. Snitsky’s strong, he’s powerful, he ain’t easy to beat and hey, Rhyno’s strong, Rhyno’s powerful and Rhyno damn sure ain’t easy to beat. Booker knows that and he’ll do exactly what he did here tonight next week and he’ll look to finish things wit’ the ‘Man Beast’. I’m pumped Cole.

Booker looks on As he sees Rhyno who is still stood on top of the stage having not taken his eyes off Booker since making his way out. Booker looks up at his rival, his eyes all popping out, having seen his rival show his face tonight before he then invites Rhyno into the ring but the Man Beast simply smirks before saying, ‘I’ll see you next week, I will FINISH you next week’. The staredown continues as we fade away.

Commercials​

We return from the break and we’re immediately sent backstage where we see Rob Van Dam continuing to make his way around the building, everybody still wondering just what Van Dam is up to, what he’s looking to find here. Van Dam appears to still be angry, his mood unchanged from earlier but he then stops, dead in his tracks, a curious look on his face as the camera then shifts and we see MNM stood just around the corner, standing right outside in the car park!! All three members, Mercury, Nitro and Melina are there as Van Dam tries to get closer, listening to every word they’re saying.

Melina: Look he can’t prove anything alright, Teddy showed him that tape and guess what? NONE of us were there, there is NO evidence to what Rob is saying. As far as I’m concerned and as far as Teddy Long’s concerned, it’s case closed and I’m relying on you two to make sure it stays that way. Can I trust you to keep your mouths shut?

Mercury and Nitro look at one another before nodding.

Melina: You won fair and square at the Bash. I wasn’t involved, nobody we ‘know’ was involved. That is our story and we’re sticking to it. You guys see or hear anything from Van Dam, you let me know and I’ll figure something out ok? Besides, the amount of money we paid ‘you know who’, they could probably deliver us another favour or two right?

Melina then laughs devilishly to herself as Mercury and Nitro join in.

Johnny Nitro: Not just beauty but the brains of the group as well. The three of us just can’t go wrong can we?

Joey Mercury: Hey, Mysterio and Van Dam couldn’t stop us, Teddy Long couldn’t stop us and those security tapes sure as HELL couldn’t stop us!! Ain’t nobody bringing MNM down!!

The trio again all smirk.

Melina: C’mon, lets get out of here boys. Places to go, people to see.

The trio then head off into the distance, the camera then returning to Van Dam who has a puzzled look on his face, his demeanour changing from anger to confusion as he thinks about what he’s just heard before saying quietly, ‘The amount of money they paid’ as if to question what he just took in. Mr.Friday Night then says ‘I knew it’ before heading off at a pace towards the car park. It appears although Teddy Long’s investigation is over with, Van Dam’s is still far from finished.

We then return ringside, set for our main event…


Michael Cole: Tazz did I just hear what I think I heard, have MNM paid off somebody to take part in this whole thing? Have the Tag Team Champions really bought a way out of the stipulation at the Bash? I mean-I-I’m in shock here.

Tazz: It could be anything Cole, we don’t know for sure, I mean Melina coulda been talkin’ about anything.

‘Burn in my Light’​

It’s immediate heat as the ever familiar sound of Randy Orton’s music hits and out steps the Legend Killer, already having delivered a message here tonight.

Michael Cole: You honestly can’t believe that Tazz. MNM are guilty as charged here and I think it’s only a matter of time before Rob Van Dam and ALL of us find out the truth. But back to the action here tonight and a man who made a major statement last week, playing The Undertaker at his own game as the Legend Killer began the mind games with the Deadman, laying the Phenom out with an RKO.

Tazz: Orton definitely pulled one outta the bag last week Cole. The Undertaker knows that Orton ain’t gonna lie down for him, the Deadman’s gonna have to pull out all the stops to finally put an end to Randy Orton. It’s gonna be an incredible battle when these two men go toe to toe at Summerslam, that’s for damn sure.

‘Medal’​

It’s a ton of heat that comes for the number one contender as out steps Kurt Angle, a look of focus, determination, intensity all etched on the Wrestling Machine’s face.

Michael Cole: The actions of this man last week Tazz were disgusting. Kurt Angle claimed John Cena was scared, that John Cena was afraid of facing him, that John Cena was shying away from his advances and yet what does Kurt Angle do? Kurt Angle ambushes John Cena from behind.

Tazz: Kurt got what he wanted last week Cole. He got his shot at the WWE title and now he’s got that? It don’t matter what he does leadin’ up to Summerslam. Attacking John Cena last week was him sendin’ a message, was him getting one over on the champion, getting inside his head and Angle did all of that and more.

Angle and Orton share a stare at one another, these two have had their run ins in the past month or so, there’s certainly no love lost as they now await their opponents.

‘GONG’

‘Graveyard Symphony’​

The Deadman steps out to a thunderous ovation, the infamous gong having gone off and the look in the eyes of Randy Orton having changed to one of intrigue more than anything as the Phenom makes his way down to the ring.

Michael Cole: Tazz how do you believe the Deadman will have reacted to what went down last week, being the victim of his own mind games at the hands of Randy Orton?

Tazz: Not too well in my book Cole. The Undertaker is the master of the mind games and for Randy Orton to get one over on him like that, for his long time rival to pull one over on him like that, it ain’t gonna have sat well with the Phenom. Randy Orton’s gonna need to be on his guard here tonight cos I think the Deadman’s gonna be out to make a statement tonight.

The Undertaker steps inside the ring, doing his usual routine, both Angle and Orton watching on, surprisingly they both appear unfazed as Taker now awaits his partner.

‘My Time is Now’​

And here indeed comes the WWE Champion, John Cena! Cena steps out on stage and immediately sets his sights on Angle, the tension evident for all in the arena to feel as Cena marches down ringside, not taking his eyes off the Wrestling Machine, Angle returning the favour.

Michael Cole: The look in the eyes of the WWE Champion says it all Tazz. John Cena issued the challenge, Summerslam, Kurt Angle and him for the WWE title, they would finally settle things face to face, man to man only for Kurt Angle to assault him from behind. Kurt Angle took the cowards way out last week and John Cena will look to get him some of Angle here tonight!

Tazz: Absolutely, I think it’s a guarantee that the champ ain’t gonna be in the mood for any of Angle’s games tonight. Angle wanted to send a message last week and we heard from John Cena earlier on tonight, I think he got that message loud and clear.

Match Five: Tag Team Match

John Cena and The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle and Randy Orton

The Deadman kicks this contest off and Kurt Angle argues with Randy Orton over who should start out for their team, both pleading why it should NOT be them. In the end it’s Angle who draws the short straw and the Wrestling Machine begins circling the ring with the Phenom. The two men lock up in the centre of the ring but Taker overpowers Angle into the corner and the hold is broken as Taker goes to town on his opponent, big right hands as Angle has no response to the power and speed of the Deadman here.

Taker keeps the pressure on Angle as he mounts more right hands before a big time Irish whip as Angle bounds into the opposite corner, Angle slams out of the corner right into the path of Taker who CATCHES KURT WITH SNAKE EYES!! Angle stumbles out of the corner as Taker runs the ropes, BIG BOOT!! Angle ducks it, grabs Taker from behind and NAILS A GERMAN SUPLEX!! Angle sensing Taker was coming and used all his speed to quickly catch him off guard as Taker is down for the first time tonight, Angle down also, catching a small breather right now.

Angle then gets to his feet, Randy Orton staring at him, these two having had some history together but Angle doesn’t wanna tag here, instead heading back over to Taker and he begins to assault the Deadman, hammering away with vicious stomps to the back of Taker’s head, Angle showing real venom here as he looks to send a message to the WWE Champion, Angle glancing in his direction as Cena watches on.

Angle keeps working over Taker, an array of kicks and elbows to the back of the head, the neck of the Phenom before Angle locks in a sleeper hold, trying to wear down his opponent here, the crowd though right behind the legendary Demon of Death Valley. Angle wrenches the hold in as Taker looks pretty groggy here, Angle having spent the last couple of minutes picking him apart. We see John Cena urging Taker on here as he grasps out in hope of finding something, anything to bring him out of this predicament whilst we then see Angle’s face, one of determination as he tries to finish this thing off. An ‘UN-DER-TA-KER’ chant has begun and it seems to inspire the Deadman who starts to find his way up, now to his knees as Angle’s determination changes to concern as Taker begins to dig his elbows in on Angle’s mid section, Angle looking a little winded here as Taker pounds away and he breaks the hold!! Taker breaks free as Angle is doubled over momentarily and Taker strikes! Big right from Taker followed by an onslaught of more right hands, boot to the gut, Irish whip, Taker runs the opposite side of the ring, FLYING CLOTHESLINE!! Angle is down but so too is Taker and it’s a race to their partners here!!

Orton has an arm stretched out, Cena likewise as both Angle and Taker draw ever closer, Taker’s large frame appears to be getting there first but Angle shows a burst of energy and makes the tag, here comes Randy Orton but here too comes John Cena!! The WWE Champion is in like a house on fire as Orton has no response to Cena’s frenetic pace, right hand after right hand from the champ as Orton struggles to get any type of defence in. Orton’s up against the ropes, Cena with an Irish whip, Orton rebounds right into a big back body drop!! Orton is floored as Cena awaits his return to his feet, Orton’s up, spins round, SPINNING SIDE SLAM!! The fans are on their feet here, they know what’s coming, Cena runs the ropes BUT KURT ANGLE HOLDS CENA’S ARM!! Cena spins round, about to blow a gasket but Angle drops to the outside, wanting nothing to do with Cena, pointing at his head, further getting inside Cena’s as Cena turns back around, BAM!! DROPKICK BY ORTON!!

Cena is floored, Angle’s mind games working a treat as the Legend Killer finds his way back into things now and begins to stomp away all over Cena, working the champion from head to toe. Orton continues to oust Cena, whipping him into the corner before delivering a big corner clothesline leaving the champion winded. Orton then drags Cena out of the corner, nailing a boot to the gut before an Irish whip as Cena rebounds right into a picture perfect fall away slam!! Beautiful move by Orton, into the cover, 1...2...kick out at two as we see The Undertaker watching on intently at his Summerslam opponent.

Orton has a sly look about him as he eyes up the Deadman before turning his attentions back towards Cena. Orton begins to hammer away with more stomps across Cena’s mid section, keeping the champion down. Orton then draws Cena to his feet, nailing him with a thunderous uppercut that sends Cena spiralling. Orton now with an Irish whip, Cena comes back off the ropes and right into Orton, big back body drop, NO! CENA LANDS ON HIS FEET! A turning point perhaps here as Orton turns around, BAM! Flying shoulder block from Cena!! The champ building momentum here as Orton gets to his feet again, the Spinning side slam incoming again BUT A THUMB TO THE EYE FROM ORTON!! Cena is blinded as Orton gets the hell out of dodge and TAGS IN ANGLE!! Orton hightails it, wanting nothing to do with Cena as he hops off the apron and around the ring, where’s Orton going? There’s a buzz all of a sudden though as THE UNDERTAKER PURSUES THE LEGEND KILLER!! TAKER IS HEADED FOR ORTON!!

Orton keeps walking but he’s pulled from behind, BAM!! BIG RIGHT FROM TAKER!! Taker and Orton now brawling on the outside, inside the ring Angle is….waiting for Cena? Kurt Angle is waiting for John Cena to regain his composure after the thumb to the eye as Angle steps in the ring, willing Cena on here, the crowd confused as we then see Taker smash Orton head first off the barricade!!

Cena is now upright, his sight restored as Angle looks on at him, suggesting that the face to face, one on one confrontation is gonna go down here, just like he wanted, just like Cena wanted. Angle motions ‘Come on’ and the crowd are ready and raring as Cena charges RIGHT INTO A LOW BLOW FROM ANGLE!! WHAT THE HELL?!? ANGLE KICKS CENA SQUARE IN THE NUTS!! The referee has no choice but to ring the bell. We then see on the outside The Undertaker turn to look at why the bell has been rang, a look of anger on his face before he turns back around and RANDY ORTON WITH ANOTHER THUMB TO THE EYE, THIS TIME TO TAKER, BUYING HIM SOME TIME BEFORE HE HIGHTAILS IT AGAIN, RANDY ORTON HAS ESCAPED THROUGH THE CROWD!!


Winners via Disqualification: John Cena and The Undertaker (11:52)

The fans boo profusely as Angle and Orton have taken the easy way out here, making use of any opportunity to get away from and get inside the heads again of their opponents.

Michael Cole: Kurt Angle AGAIN taking the damn easy way out!! Kurt Angle again escaping from the clutches of John Cena!! I thought Angle wanted Cena one on one Tazz, I thought he wanted him face to face!!

Tazz: It’s all mind games Cole. Angle ain’t afraid of Cena, I’d bet my life on that one but what Kurt is, is he’s smart and all this is gonna get inside the head of John Cena come Summerslam. Hey, who knows it may all just work to perfection for the Wrestlin’ Machine.

Angle points at his head as Cena looks on angrily having been completely floored by Angle’s low blow. The Olympic Gold Medalist clearly pleased with his ‘smart’ strategy here tonight as he smirks at the fallen champion. Meanwhile we see The Undertaker now enter the ring, Randy Orton having also managed to escape his clutches tonight, the fan favourites being denied their opportunities of payback this evening. Taker looks on at Cena as the champion brings himself to his feet, the two men then have a tense face off before Cena diverts his attention back up to Angle, looking one pissed off SOB right now while Taker does likewise to the wily Orton who remains in the crowd watching on.

Michael Cole: Randy Orton has escaped from the clutches of the Deadman here tonight. Kurt Angle has avoided a fired up WWE Champion but the question is, for how long? John Cena and The Undertaker are gonna get their shot at Summerslam. Will the games continue as the road to Summerslam winds down or will it all be game over for Randy Orton and for Kurt Angle come August 21st? Goodnight everybody!!

The final shot is of Orton watching on, looking pleased with his work from the crowd before we see Kurt Angle stood on top of the ramp, a hefty grin still on his face also as we then see inside the ring, Cena looking on, mouthing words to the Wrestling Machine and we then see The Undertaker looking out into a sea of people, his sights set on Randy Orton as the two faces then turn their attention back to one another, a brief staredown before seemingly a nod of respect shown as we then fade to black.


Date: 21st August 2005
Location: Washington DC

World Heavyweight Championship:
Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
Batista(c) vs Kane

WWE Championship:
John Cena(c) vs Kurt Angle

If Ric Flair loses, he must retire:
Christian w/Tomko vs Ric Flair

Randy Orton vs The Undertaker

WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Muhammad Hassan(c) vs Shelton Benjamin

Money in the Bank Contract:
Edge vs Chris Jericho

WWE United States Championship:
Matt Hardy(c) vs Carlito

8 Man Tag Team Match:
The Dudley Boyz and The Basham Brothers vs Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari; The Arabian Entity

John Bradshaw Layfield vs Bobby Lashley

No Holds Barred Match:
Mark Jindrak w/William Regal vs Big Show

WWE Women's Championship:
Victoria(c) vs Lita​
 
#161 ·
Opening segment starting out with these guys does a lot for the prestige of the US Championship, as you have other big rivalries going on that could have kicked off the show. You have Carlito perfect here, and what he says makes a lot of sense and I hope that he does start to move up the ranks on Smackdown in the coming weeks/months. But the unfortunate thing was that I knew that this was going to lead to a match being made at Summerslam, and you're kind of stuck in a hole here, because Hardy has basically only just won the title, and Carlito needs the win after all of this hype he has given himself. So one man loses all of their momentum at Summerslam. Hardy was on point here too, and you characterised him very well as you do with everyone in this BTB. This segment did well to hype up the match and I liked that you gave it a very personal touch with both men getting the other's family involved. The brawl at the end was a good touch, and Hardy getting the better of it was needed after Carly won the war of words. Great start to the show.

Cena being up next was the right move, as he could have well started the show but I'm glad you gave it to Hardy and Carly. Cena calling Kurt out for what went down last week was good because it is typical 2005 Cena. You say I do Cena well but you've got him nailed. You've done well to always get in all of his little mannerisms and the way he speaks down to a T. Solid interview, and a very good John Cena (I can learn a lot from that)

Another solid win for the Pitbulls; two big ones in a row. This one though does a WORLD more than beating the Mexicools last week. But I'll get to the main issue here, and the implosion of RVD & Rey. Mysterio was made to look like a million dollars in this match, and it only makes RVD's desertion seem even more impactful, as he did cost the team the win here against inferior opposition. This whole sotryline you have going on with RVD reminds me a little of what is happening in 619's thread but you definitely have your own spin on it, which is good. His words to Krystal afterwards were very uncharacteristic and you've done great to show the effect that this whole MNM ordeal has had on RVD, and it is great writing.

Hardcore Holly... fun times :lmao Standard squash win for Jibbles here, and I liked how he was disgusted with Holly afterwards :lmao The promo afterwards was good, but maybe a little of fatigue shown by JBL would have been good, but you were trying to get across that it wasn't any effort for him to beat Holly, so I understand that. As much as I enjoy watching Lashley dominate in the ring... he should not be let anywhere near a microphone. I always cringe whenever I see him being given some dialogue, as it makes me think of him actually saying it. I think given Lashley's poor excuse of mic skills and his whole bad-ass persona, a short "You're on!" would have sufficed here, but I'm glad he didn't get a whole monologue. The closing line from JBL was really well executed,too.

Orton interview was pretty standard for him around this time. He plays up himself for the main event and what he did last week, so nice and simple booking there. The emphasis you give on certain words with Orton is good, because that is how he used to deliver his promos and interviews, so you must have done your homework, so hats off to you. The paragraph at the end was awesome, as you've teased a Cena/Orton feud a few times but I think this is the real hint that Orton is up next for Cena after Angle at Summerslam.

Nice to see you crossing over with the Cruiserweights, with London taking on the much bigger Chris Masters. Masters getting the win because of the distraction isn't as big as getting a clean win, but it is something for him to build on, and maybe introduce himself into the US Title picture after Summerslam. I love Helms, as he is such a good character to have in a BTB, better than Hurricane. Never would have pictured Chris Masters going up to the top rope though!

:lmao You've outdone yourself with this video. Trust me mate, this was BRILLIANT. I know you were concerned over how the last one went down but this one was even better than that, and if I am honest this was one of the main things I was looking forward to in this show. Can't wait to see what Cryme Tyme gets up to next!

Glad to see the whole Booker vs Rhyno angle is ending next week on Smackdown; I don't think it is high profile enough to make it onto Summerslam, especially with everything else you have going on. This should have been a routine win for Booker and I'm glad it was, also good to see a more aggressive side of him, too. I thought Rhyno would have made a different kind of impact here, I was sensing a post-match surprise Gore, but I get why you're saving it for next week.

GREAT development in this whole angle now, and the intrigue continues as to what happened at GAB. Expecting a heated argument between Long and RVD next week.

This match was a BLOCKBUSTER, and I knew that with everything going on it wasn't going to end clean. Smart booking not to let the Summerslam opponents getting too much of each other, the brawl between Orton and Taker was good, and I expected something like this to go down. I'm surprised Angle went for this, because I thought he would have taken advantage and hit Cena with an Angle Slam and got the win, but I guess he didn't because then Cena would complain that he got him from behind again. The kick in the nuts is always good to put in a heated rivalry for that shock factor, and you certainly got that here. I noticed the tenseness between Cena and Taker ;)

Another top notch show, and some smart booking decisions included. The RVD situation is really catching my eye, as well as the prospect of JBL vs Lashley at Summerslam. Everything advanced well and a lot of loose ends to tie up next week. Getting closer to the big one! (Y)
 
#162 ·
First time I’ve given feedback to anything of yours for a while, IIRC, if ever actually. So if I’m unsure of a few things then I do apologise (Y)

Opening the show with the US title picture is a brave, but good decision, IMO. Especially given the star power that Smackdown has in the form of Cena, Angle, Orton, Taker etc. What both Carlito and Hardy had to say as pretty generic tbh; nothing groundbreaking but there was nothing to fault, really. I became pretty sick Hardy calling Carlito “Carly” but that may just have been me? I liked the way Carlito brought up Matt and Jeff; how they were destined for greatness etc. But they haven’t exactly reached it. I’m surprised to see Carlito take the first shot, but I liked the way that even though he did take the first shot, he still ended up on the tail-end of things. Interesting enough segment – like i said, nothing groundbreaking but nothing to complain about. Solid opening (Y)

Very intense from Cena here, but done in character as well. I hope you keep this rather intense Cena around (I’m not sure if you’ve already built him like that already) but I just hope he sticks like that. He’s much better like that and the way you write him is a pleasure to read, good enough segment.

I’m not completely sure what this MNM/RVMYSTERIO storyline is all about, but nevertheless, I’ll comment on what I can. Well, it was a huge upset victory for Noble and Kash, which is only a good thing – A big fan of both men, singles and as a team. Interesting way to end the match. A possible RVD turn perhaps? I don’t know. There’s obviously a reason behind it, compelling stuff.

Hmm, unsure of RVD here. Yeah, the message he got across was clear, but it didn’t sound like Van Dam at all. Maybe that was what you were trying to get at... But I dunno, I just found it realy ahrd to picture Van Dam using those words? Granted, he wasn’t really a promo cutter, and when he did they were pretty generic... meh, i’m rambling here, but yeah – The message was good, the dialogue not so much.

@lmao I love JBL, one of my favourite characters of this time period, and you wrote him well here. The squash was simple enough, and the promo was great tbh. I found myself reading all of it in his voice, which is only a good sign, right? Haha, anyway, I digress. :lmao @ Layfield running, typical haha. Even though you kept Lashley’s piece rather short, it wasn’t short enough, IMO. I feel a simple enough “Yes” or “You’re on” etc. Would have done the trick. The less Lashley talks, the more intense he seems and the more impressive he looks, IMO. :lmao at John’s last few words as well, lovely.

Legend Killer Orton > Any other Orton, and like a lot of times tonight, you wrote him very well and characterised him well. What he had to say was great, and maybe it’s just me or did I see you possibly planting the seeds for Orton/Cena down the line? Good way to promote the main event for tonight and decent enough segment to promote the Summerslam rematch.

Michael Cole: Well we know that’s not gonna be a problem for either of ’em is it?”

;lmao I miss innocent, face Michael Cole sometimes. I like the way you aren’t excluding the CWs from the rest of the roster and you’re allowing them to mix it up with the rest of the wrestlers, really adds prestige to the division and makes the wrestlers seem like proper threats to anybody. As soon as I saw Helms and Chavo come down to commentary, I knew they’d get involved, not that that’s a bad thing though because it made sense. London challenging at Summerslam? I don’t know, Summerslam is stacked already, don’t see where it could fit in, I don’t know.

Intense Angle >

:lmao Cryme Tyme, good choice, very good tag team, IMO. Unique gimmick, good chemistry and both decent enough in the ring. It bewilders me how they didn’t win the tag team championships at least once during their tenure, but oh well. Hopefully you do well with them. The package was nice, I can imagine it being very fun to create and write them, tbh :lmao

Big announcement about the 2/3 falls match next week, smart stuff seeing as I, once again, can’t see that fitting on an already stacked SS card. Booker was always going to win here, and I can see him getting the victory next week simply because he has more to gain. Although I am a Rhyno mark and i would love to see a push for him in 2005 WWE, tbh.

I’m still confused about this MNM/ReyRVD storyline, but hey, I’ll get to grips with it eventually. :lmao @ Mercury and Nitro being Melina’s bitches, practically. Good stuff.

I’m not normally a fan of “heel 1 and heel 2 vs. Face 1 and face 2 just because heel 1 hates face 1 and heel 2 hates face 2” type thangs, if that makes sense... :lmao ... but I wasn’t too bothered about this. It developed both feuds well, provided an exciting, star studded main event and created intrigue heading in to the go home show. Solid stuff once again

All in all, mate, the show was solid. Nothing exactly groundbreaking, but there was nothing really to complain about either, and that’s exactly the type of show I want heading in to the go home show. Save it all for then, and then the PPV. You characterised Orton very well, and he and Angle were the highlights of the show, despite not really getting much in the way of mic time etc. JBL was also on form here, which is always a pleasure to read. Keep it up (Y)
 
#163 ·
JAM's Review​
To repeat what TWG and Flux said, trusting Matt and Carlito to open the show is definitely a brave move. However, in doing so, the prestige of the United States Title just went up as two guys are definitely fitting to carry on the title. As of late, I've seen the titles been rather prestigious because of the depth that WWE had in it's roster. Shame that they didn't capitalize on it. Anyway, the exchange between the two was great with Matt having that “never back down” attitude. I didn't like Matt calling Carlito “Carly” though. I know it's his name but I would've stuck with Carlito. These two meeting at Summerslam will definitely be a treat but I didn't like how they just all of sudden made a match. Maybe have it confirmed by having Teddy Long come out or something but yeah, good opening segment here man.

Some strong words here from Cena. I do love it when someone writes Cena's aggressive side, it's always a fun thing to read. You capture him pretty good here, no complaints. I like how he emphasizes how ironic the situation is with Kurt calling him a coward despite having Kurt attack him from behind last week. Good booking here.

Yup, this thing with RVD is definitely getting out of hand. Definitely a heel turn will happen which will be cool to see. I don't think I've seen anyone book RVD as a heel so it may come off unlike RVD at first but I'm sure we'll all get used to it. Nice use of Taz here playing the “I've known him for a long time card” to have him be shocked at RVD's actions as well. And after when Kristal went to get a word with RVD, I like how you have him acting all innocent, making us doubt that maybe he won't turn heel.

Poor Hardcore Holly doing the jobbing here. Anyway, I like that you're keeping JBL strong here, he was definitely one of the biggest heels over at Smackdown. You've now used the attack and escape route twice in the show. I think that should be the maximum but hey, whatever works to get these feuds going. I agree with the two guys who commented that Lashley shouldn't have said as much as he did but I was fine with what he said. Just don't expect Lashley to have more mic time in the future, hopefully I'm right :D

You're just on fire with the interviews tonight. Loving this Randy Orton, him as a heel was awesome! I like the way that you conducted business as usual with him, showing that he's a no-nonsense guy. But when it came to the question regarding Cena, I do believe you've planted the seeds for a future feud between the two and I don't mind that at all. Both were definitely on fire and it would have made for a hell of a feud.

Another division that has been heating up is the Cruiserweight Division. You definitely got the right guys involved in a feud here. A young guy in London and veterans in Chavo and Helms. I'm thinking London brings back Kendrick or some partner later on down the line to fend off the two veterans but we'll see. Should be great.

:lmao I've been laughing this entire time reading this video package. Just imagining these two messin' with golfers is brilliant. You write these two pretty well and it's just hilarious. Hope we see about one or two more video packages before you debut them. Hell, make them have their own show just like how Morrison and Miz had the Dirt Sheet. Definitely can't wait for these two to debut man.

Won't comment too much on the Booker T/Rhyno feud since I'm not really a fan of it. Fast forward to the MNM promo, it was another good one. Good job having Melina as their mouthpiece here, definitely a great heel group. Great gimmick, great in-ring ability, great matches. Have them slug it out with Cryme Tyme! :D

The main event definitely wasn't getting a clean finish, not a bad idea. You furthered both feuds along nicely having both guys with some heel tactics against Cena and 'Taker. Hopefully it picks up on the go-home show as they're both really big feuds. Definitely think that the faces will get the upperhand at the go-home show, we shall see.

Loving the show man, more than RAW at the moment. Cryme Tyme was definitely the highlight for me here, loving that tag team. Along with you catching Cena and Orton perfectly, everything else flowed nicely, good job with the show man! Get to Summerslam already! :D
 
#164 ·
SmackDown Review

Always nice to see you kick off a show with something a little bit different, and the Cabana certainly provided that. I thought you had Carlito pretty spot on, and the opening with his grievances towards Teddy Long all had a ring of truth behind it. One thing to watch out for, you seemed to drift between “dis/dat” and “this/that”. Should probably be a lot more consistent with that kinda thing, even though it's small, it's a detail that stands out when reading Carlito's speech. Hardy was a step up from 'Lito, I liked the way you had Hardy point out what a waste of talent Carlito was, that was certainly always the real life criticism aimed at him, so I could imagine Matt speaking with a real sense of conviction here. 'Lito had some nice comebacks though, especially liked that comment about living off of Jeff, and I thought it showed that real heelish hypocriscy by mention family just moments after Carlito said not to. I'm noticing as well that you've got all the “ju” in, so the consistency for that is there at least. Again some nice words from Carlito before the inevitable brawl, and typical heel stuff from 'Lito as he picks a fight then runs away. Really nothing to fault here, it was all pretty good stuff, a nice use of Carlito especially. Real good start to the show, I liked it, and the SummerSlam showdown should be a real nice addition to the mid card.

Pretty straightforward promo from Cena, all seemed very intense and in character. Certainly made sense given Angle's claims that Cena would turn it around and point out the fears of Angle, and the words with regards to not going behind Angle's back are pretty standard for face Cena. Not a whole lot to comment on, it did what it was meant to do and hyped the main event and SummerSlam.

Sounds like a pretty exciting match to kick things off, certainly plenty of high flying anyway, but I'd have perhaps wanted a little bit more of a big deal made of the fact that Van Dam wasn't bothered about starting on the apron. I'd have also made more of the fact that before the hot tag, we didn't see 'RVD'. As for the walk out, well, tbh it's very surprising. Obviously you've played up the mental anguish Van Dam has been feeling over the last few weeks, but this either makes me think he's going insane through the stress or a heel turn is on the horizon. I'd love to see the latter, I can't recall seeing a heel RVD in the section before, so it would certainly be something different. One thing I would say though, is that “Sweetheart” in the post match interview just felt so out of place.

Not much to say on JBL/Holly, pretty much a squash match, and I'm surprised it even went 4 mins tbh. Obviously it's the post match promo we're here for, and I say this was the strongest bit of writing you've done so far. JBL is such a fun character to use, and you used him well here, especially that “real” comment, that was well worked. Challenge made, although of course Lashley wants revenge, and again like Carlito earlier, nice use of the chicken shit heel stuff with JBL making a quick exit. Solid enough comeback, and of course the challenge is accepted. Straight away I'm wondering if you'll end the undefeated streak at Summerslam, with of course JBL cheating to win, leading to a rematch further down the line. Might do Lashley some good to really get into a feud with multiple matches rather than grabbing the win here. But yeah, yet another solid addition to the undercard of SummerSlam.

Orton again seemed pretty much in character, and it was a solid bit of build towards his showdown with 'The Deadman', a match I fully expect him to win. One interesting thing though was that you seemed to be setting up a potential future feud between Orton and Cena. I think to see that on SmackDown would really do wonders for the show, especially back in 2005 when both men were really starting to establish themselves as stars in the company.

Interesting that you would take a cruiserweight feud and revolve the latest storyline advancement around a Chris Masters match, not something most people would go for, myself included. And tbh, the fact that Masters needed an assist to get the win, doesn't really do a lot for him here. Anyway, no issues with what Chavo and Helms got up to, certainly made a lot of sense and was another nice way to advance a feud. Will we these two at SummerSlam? I'm not sure, can't really see a spot for them on the card, so perhaps you'll hang fire with this one until the next SmackDown only pay per view.

:lmao what on earth is going on with these Cryme Tyme videos? Certainly worth a laugh, even if they're a tad confusing.

The 2 out of 3 falls announcement makes me think you'll do something similar with Helms and London, have it on an episode of SmackDown, would make a ton of sense, and it should be a real strong one next week. As for this, I think Snitsky is just awful, never thought anything of him at all really, so yeah, glad Booker got the win despite Rhyno showing up, as a Snitsky win would have been just criminal, and not in a funny Cryme Tyme way.

Ah ha, the plot thickens. So there is shenanigans afoot, but we just don't know where or how now. Well, certainly puts my RVD heel turn out, but it adds to the intrigue. A great little less is more segment here, good stuff, can't wait to see the big reveal.

And main event time. Gotta admit, I liked the action and the fact that we saw very little from Cena and Angle, that was almost a ploy I think to protect the SummerSlam main event imo. And again, you tied the whole heel hypocrisy nicely into the match with the cheap finish, and you did well to have Cole hammer home the fact on commentary. I think you got the emphasis of the main story point just right here, while perhaps the emphasis on other stories was lacking earlier. But yeah, this was much better, definitely saved the best til last with regards to the in ring action and your writing, nothing at all to fault with the main event.

Overall, I enjoyed this more than last week tbh. I thought this was a step up from that, as we had much more storyline development, and the intrigue for the RVD situation was really strong. Perhaps the matches weren't as good, but there was enough around that to cover for it. Good stuff again, keep taking the shows up a notch week after week and by the time you hit SummerSlam you'll be ready to deliver a top notch pay per view. (Y)
 
#165 ·
Hey CP I see we're edging closer and closer to the big PPV, personally can't wait for it. Anyway here it is Smackdown feedback.

Well I have to say I agree with everyone else by saying it was a ballsy move to start with Carlito and Hardy however I think it was a good move all round. I liked the exchange between both men they should have a good match come Summerslam. Unlike the others Matt calling him Carly didn't really grind on me too much.

Again I'd have to agree with the others and say you really do capture Cena very well, and I also love his intense side instead of the usual happy go lucky Cena. Big win for The Pitbulls here and I like the direction you're taking RVD in, it may be similar to 619's RVD situation but yours is hinting more at a heel turn which could be very intriguing. Again I liked his interview with Kristal showing a side of him which has rarely been seen.

I've never liked Hardcore Holly so I'm glad Jbl got the win over him, again I have to agree with the others don't give Lashley a lot of dialogue! ;), the amount you gave him here though wasn't too much though.

I like the partnership here with Helms & Chavo, their feud seems to be bubbling nicely with London. LOVE the Cryme Tyme vignettes it is right up their street and I can't wait for them to debut.

Nice to see Booker pick up the victory, I'm wondering what Rhyno meant by I'll finish you next week. Again things develop with MNM/RVD scenario really can't wait for the payoff.

Main Event time! I doubted it would end clean because nobody can afford to lose steam before Summerslam, thought the match was well written and left the big build for the go home show next week!

Overall I enjoyed the read CP, I think things are building up well towards the PPV which I can't wait for. Good job mate! (Y)
 
#166 ·
WWE Monday Night Raw Preview- 15/8/05- Rochester, New York

It is just SIX nights until the biggest party of the summer, Summerslam! Tonight marks the final stop on the road to Washington for the stars of Monday Night Raw and it is sure to be as heated as hostile as you could expect with championships, futures, careers all hanging in the balance after tonight.

Last week saw a shocking conclusion to Raw as we were shown an image of Shawn Michaels laid out cold backstage, surrounded in a pool of his own blood with the Big Red Machine, Kane standing by, laughing in a sick, menacing manner. You would have to assume this was the work of the Devil’s Favourite Demon, however, we have learned that tonight Kane will speak on the issue and rumour has it, all is not quite what it seems. Will the Heartbreak Kid even be in New York tonight? What has Kane got to say? Will Eric Bischoff reprimand the monster he is desperate to see take gold come Sunday? And will the World Champion himself, Batista have anything to say on the matter?

The Intercontinental Champion will be in action here tonight as Muhammad Hassan will go one on one with the man who can call himself ‘Money’ come Sunday, Chris Jericho. Jericho faces Edge at Summerslam with the Rated R Superstar’s Money in the Bank contract up for grabs following a heated rivalry between these two men. Can Jericho build some momentum here tonight or will the current Mr.MITB have something else in mind? For Hassan it is all about keeping the momentum he gained last week when he pinned his opponent come Sunday, Shelton Benjamin. Hassan has continued to gain the upper hand on Benjamin and with six nights to go until their showdown, another strong outing from Hassan would no doubt put even more worry into the challenger’s mind.

Speaking of Benjamin, he and Charlie Haas will take on The Heart Throbs tonight. Haas has been on a roll of late, winning left, right and centre, in the process trying to spur on his partner but so far failing to do so with Benjamin continuing to suffer defeat. Will tonight be the night that Shelton gets back on the saddle and build steam towards Summerslam or will Haas once again outshine his partner?

More Tag Team action is also scheduled as the Basham Brothers will take on Sonjay Dutt and Daivari of the Arabian Entity. These two teams will be on opposite sides of the ring at Summerslam as part of an 8 man tag team match but tonight it’s two on two. Who will leave New York with a win under their belt and who will leave with a mountain to climb come Summerslam?

Mark Jindrak takes on Big Show this Sunday in what will no doubt be a brutal No Holds Barred contest. Tonight Jindrak has requested a warm up match and his request has been granted. Jindrak will go one on one with another giant of a man in Rosey with the No Holds Barred stipulation in place. How will Jindrak fare heading into this deadly enviroment and can he send a message to the World’s Largest Athlete?

And finally, tonight may mark the final night on Raw for the Nature Boy himself, Ric Flair. This Sunday, Flair will put his career on the line against Christian and has been afforded the chance here tonight to speak to the audience, with GM Eric Bischoff claiming that this is Flair’s goodbye. We won’t know on Sunday but it is sure to be an emotional one here tonight and you have to wonder whether Flair will be able to get it all out and just whether or not his opponent on Sunday will simply stand back and allow Flair this moment.

All this to come LIVE on Monday Night Raw as well as much, much more. You won’t wanna miss it!


Confirmed for tonight’s show:

No Holds Barred:
Mark Jindrak vs. Rosey

The Basham Brothers vs. The Arabian Entity

The World’s Greatest Tag Team vs. The Heart Throbs

Muhammad Hassan vs. Chris Jericho

Plus;

Ric Flair’s ‘Goodbye’

And more on the attack of Shawn Michaels last week
!​


Massive, massive thanks to all those who reviewed Smackdown. Probably the most reviews i've ever had and i greatly appreciate it. This will be up sometime next week. Until then, ciao.
 
#167 · (Edited)

WWE Monday Night Raw- 15/8/05- Rochester, New York​

We get a video package to kick off the show highlighting the goings on of last week including the opening to the show where Kane attacked Batista with an assist from the GM Eric Bischoff. With Kane and Batista wanting after Shawn Michaels, Bischoff made it his mission to protect the Showstopper throughout the show, not wanting anything to happen to his Special Guest Referee come Summerslam. We then see Batista and Ric Flair’s discussion in which the Animal vowed to help Flair if he needed it later on in the nights main event before we head off to see Eric Bischoff lose sight of Shawn Michaels, much to his horror. The final part of the video package shows the ending to that main event as Ric Flair battled Edge before the arrival of Christian on the scene, costing Naitch before a beat down ensued. We then get the arrival of Chris Jericho to fend off Edge before Batista makes his appearance, saving the day for the Nature Boy and laying out Christian and Tomko. The show ends with Shawn Michaels laid out cold backstage in a pool of blood, a shot of Kane shown hovering over him with a twisted smile.We then go to the opening video and pyro hits as we get a shot of this raucous crowd.

Jim Ross: We are just SIX nights away from Summerslam!! Tonight the superstars of Monday Night Raw make their final stop on the road to the biggest party of the summer as we come to you LIVE from the Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York. I’m Jim Ross, joined as ever by The Coach and tonight what will transpire as we are now within touching distance of Summerslam?

The Coach: I don’t know what’s gonna happen J.R but I do know it’s gonna be DAMN sure exciting!!

‘I’m Back’​

It’s a rousing way to start off the show, similarly to last week it’s the GM Eric Bischoff who steps out, a pissed off look on his face as the New York crowd pours heat on the conniving boss of Monday nights.

The Coach: And we’re kickin’ things off with a bang!! The boss baby and he don’t look happy J.R!!

Jim Ross: Well there’s no wonder why. Shawn Michaels, Eric Bischoff’s ‘Personal Employee’, Eric Bischoff’s ace up his sleeve so to speak was decimated last week backstage as Raw went off the air. Bischoff had tried to protect Shawn all night but the Heartbreak Kid simply couldn’t sit back any longer.

The Coach: Yeah and look how that went for him. Shawn Michaels is a stupid, STUPID man. He shoulda listened to his boss, just like The Coach does. If he did, he wouldn’t have ended up tastin’ his own blood last week. I say good for Kane, getting him some payback for what Shawn Michaels did to him.

Bischoff has a mic in hand, the hostile crowd reception evident as Bischoff straightens out his trademark black jacket and composes himself.

Eric Bischoff: In six nights time, Eric Bischoff’s Raw is supposed to be complete. It started back at Vengeance when I won the right to call Shawn Michaels my very own ‘Personal Employee’.

Already drawing in the heat.

Eric Bischoff: And this Sunday it’s supposed to end when Batista loses the World Heavyweight Title to the Big Red Machine, Kane.

More boos for that as Bischoff nods, almost in a sombre mood here.

Eric Bischoff: That plan was supposed to come courtesy of both Kane and of Shawn Michaels. It was supposed to see the Heartbreak Kid stand in the middle of this ring and count Batista’s shoulders down one, two, three at Summerslam and hand over the World Title to Kane, hand over the power…back to me. But then…last week happened.

Bischoff huffs and puffs a little bit.

Eric Bischoff: Last week I knew what was coming. Shawn had already angered the Animal, he’d already angered the Monster and they were both wanting payback, they were both out to get Shawn Michaels. I knew I had to protect Shawn, I knew I couldn’t let them get their hands on him but Shawn? Shawn didn’t see it that way did he? He didn’t see it my way, he NEVER…sees it anybody’s way except his.

Bischoff strokes his hand over his face.

Eric Bischoff: Shawn decided that no, he just had to walk off, he just had to go and make a statement, send a message that he was his own man, that he did things by his own account. Well where did that get Shawn huh? I’ll tell you exactly where that got Shawn, it got Shawn the BEATING…of a lifetime. It got Shawn stuck in a hospital bed and it got me in ONE HELL OF A PREDICAMENT!!

Bischoff’s sombre mood turns fired up as the crowd boo the crazed egomaniac.

Eric Bischoff: See now I’ve been wondering all week long just whether everything I had planned for Summerslam was gonna come off. I’ve been wondering just whether or not Shawn’s even gonna make it to August 21st. And whose fault would that be? Huh? Who do I blame for that? Do I blame myself for letting Shawn walk out that door last week? No, no, see I can’t keep an eye on everything that goes on around me, I’m the General Manager of this show and I work my ass off to do a DAMN GOOD JOB!!

More heat again as Bischoff talks himself up big time here.

Eric Bischoff: Do I blame Kane? Hmmm, do I blame…Kane? The man who I want to win the World Heavyweight title this Sunday, the man who I know can take that World title and make it mean something again. Do I blame him? I mean, after all he DID attack Shawn last week. But you kno…

‘BOOM’

‘Slow Chemical’​

Oh dear, it’s the music of the number one contender and out comes Kane, a snarl on his face as Eric Bischoff looks scared to death here with the seven footer storming down the ramp.

Jim Ross: Oh good god!!

The Coach: I smell trouble J.R!!

Jim Ross: I think the boss smells trouble too Coach!! Is Eric Bischoff’s own alliance going to pot just six days before the World Title showdown?

The Coach: I hope and pray it’s not but I think we’re about to find out! Kane sure as hell don’t look happy!

Kane takes a microphone as Eric Bischoff looks a little on edge still here, Kane glaring at the GM with his devilish ways.

Eric Bischoff: Look Kane I was just about to say…

Kane: I don’t care what you were about to say, I…need to say something.

Bischoff seems to mouth ‘Ok’ looking like he’s about to shit himself with Kane cutting him off.

Kane: See I did go after Shawn Michaels last week, I did wanna make him pay, make him SUFFER but what I wanna know is why am I the one being accused of attacking Shawn Michaels?

What? There’s confusion amongst the fans as well as Bischoff.

Eric Bischoff: W-w-wait hold on just a second. What do you-what do you mean why are you being accused? Kane you were THERE!! Everybody saw you last week as Raw went off the air, you were standing over Shawn Michaels.

Kane: So because somebody was at the scene of the crime, that makes them guilty does it Eric? Like I was saying, I wanted to get my hands on Shawn Michaels, in fact that’s exactly where I was headed last week but who says I made it there in time?

Kane now begins laughing.

Kane: Who says I got there before Shawn Michaels had that sweet taste of his own blood? Ha ha.

Eric Bischoff: So let me get this straight, you DIDN’T attack Shawn Michaels?

Kane is still laughing, Bischoff with an inquisitive look here.

Kane: I’m not saying anything Eric, but what I am saying…is maybe you should look elsewhere as to who attacked Shawn Michaels last week. Maybe you should look at somebody else who has a problem with Shawn Michaels. Maybe you should look at your Wo…

'I Walk Alone’​

It’s a THUNDEROUS pop that greets the music of the World Heavyweight Champion as the Animal, Batista steps out on stage, a suave shirt and trousers along with shades on as Kane begins to smirk. What brings the champion out here?

Jim Ross: I think business is about to pick up folks!! The World Champion and the Big Red Machine may be about to blow here!!

The Coach: So it was HIM after all!! We all thought it was Kane but it was our ‘goody two shoes’ of a champion who ambushed Shawn Michaels last week!!

Jim Ross: Oh you gotta be kidding me!! Batista wouldn’t have done that Coach, you and I both know it, Eric Bischoff himself knows it.

The Coach: I don’t know about Eric Bischoff but I’m startin’ to side with Kane on this one, Batista WAS after the Showstopper last week. It all makes sense!!

Tista has a mic, not looking in the best of moods here, pacing up and down, round and round as Kane continues to grin at the man he meets this Sunday, Bischoff eyeing the champion up and down.

Eric Bischoff: What the hell do y…

Batista: Eric you better shut your mouth BEFORE I SHUT IT FOR YOU!!

Wow, the Animal is fired up as the crowd pops big for this.

Batista: Y’know I came here tonight lookin’ to pick up where I left off last week and that’s kicking somebody’s ass, that’s kicking BOTH YOUR ASSES!!

Tista points at Kane and Bischoff with Kane laughing off the threat.

Batista: But then you come out here and you pull this bunch of crap about Shawn Michaels don’t you? About how maybe we should be looking elsewhere, about how maybe it might not have been you who attacked him and hey I’m pretty sure you were about a second away from throwin’ my name into this thing.

Kane: Oh I was, believe me I was and I still am gonna throw your name into this. I was there last week, there’s no denying that, I’ve got problems with Shawn Michaels, REAL problems…but so have you. So maybe I did ‘bump’ into Shawn backstage but uh…where were you? Where were you Dave when this wh…

Batista: The hell do you mean ‘Where was I?’ I was out here in the middle of this ring giving Christian the ass kicking he deserved.

Bischoff looks puzzled by the two men’s interaction, Kane still smirking.

Kane: That’s right Dave, you were out here being the hero weren’t you? You were out here saving your good friend Ric Flair. But…why did it, why did it take you so long to come to his aid? I mean it was three on one out here. Edge, Christian, Tomko they were all ganging up on Ric Flair they were gonna tear him apart until…until Chris Jericho came down to Ric‘s aid, not you Dave.

Boos for this as Batista looks away, Eric Bischoff’s eyes widen as he begins to nod.

Eric Bischoff: Hey, y’know what? Now that I think about it, you may be onto something there. It DID take you a heck of a long time to come to Flair’s aid last week, what took you so long ‘champ’?

Batista: Look you can accuse me all you want on this but it doesn’t change anything. I know the truth, I know I had absolutely nothing to do with what happened to Shawn Michaels last week and no matter how much me and Shawn don’t get along, I’m willing to bet he feels the exact same way.

Bischoff starts laughing.

Eric Bischoff: Y’know, it’s funny you should say that, it really is because guess who’s here tonight Dave? Despite the beat down last week, despite the trip to the hospital, I DRAGGED SHAWN MICHAELS ASS HERE TONIGHT!!

Big heat for that but a pop at the fact he IS here.

Eric Bischoff: And before you two interrupted me here tonight I was just about to explain why. I was about to say that despite everything that went on last week, despite what happened to Shawn, the only person I blame for it all is the man himself. The ONLY person I blame for last week is Shawn Michaels. If he’d have simply taken my advice, that attack last week? It never woulda happened.

Batista: Look Eric cut to the chase. Is there a point to any of this?

Eric Bischoff: Oh there is a big point to all this Dave, a big point. See I blame Shawn entirely for what took place and tonight I was going to force him to come down to this ring and I was gonna make him explain to me, explain to the world just what went through his head last week, just what made him make that stupid decision. I was gonna allow him to relay exactly what went down last week on Raw and Dave I mean exactly…what went down.

Bischoff smirks at the World Champ, Kane joining in.

Eric Bischoff: Now that all this has come out? Now I know that maybe…just maybe it was you Dave, I am still gonna allow Shawn Michaels to come out here tonight and give his take on this whole thing. Only now? Now I’m not so concerned about it all y’know? So I’m just gonna sit in the back and I’m gonna watch what happens out here later on tonight. But the both of you? You’re gonna join him out here tonight.

Bischoff nods, the crowd giving a slight pop for that.

Eric Bischoff: It’s gonna be all three of you stood in the middle of this ring, having to look each other in the eye and having to face the truth tonight. I'm really, really hoping that Shawn knows the truth and Dave, after what I’ve heard tonight, I got a funny feeling you’re not gonna like it.

Batista: Eric I got nothing to hide. If I was gonna attack Shawn Michaels, I’d do it to his face. All you’re doing is trying to twist this, trying to shift this all on me, trying to give you EVERY advantage heading into Summerslam. Well if the real Shawn Michaels shows up tonight and he shows up on Sunday, your little plan? It's gonna backfire, it ain’t gonna work because Shawn Michaels HATES what you stand for Eric, he hates…your…guts and he will NOT count my shoulders down as a favour to a piece of DIRT LIKE YOU!!

Nice pop for the Animal’s intensity here as he roars in Bischoff’s face now.

Kane: Dave, Shawn WILL count your shoulders down on Sunday. But it won’t be as a favour to Eric Bischoff. It will be because I put... you down and take…you…out.

Heat for the Big Red Machine here.

Eric Bischoff: That? That’s the truth Dave and sometimes…sometimes the truth hurts. Knowing that your opponent on Sunday is just too strong, just too powerful, simply too brutal for you to beat, it hurts. And knowing that later on out there tonight you’ll get exposed for the coward you really are, the LIAR you really are, that’ll hurt just as much won’t it? Put the two together and Dave this Sunday you got a monster gunning for you and you’ve got a man in charge now with a REAL motive to count…you…down.

Strong heat here for Bischoff’s claims as both he and Kane share a chuckle.

Eric Bischoff: I really, really look forward to later on Dave. Good luck, I think(laughing), I think you’re gonna need it.

Bischoff’s music then hits as he and Kane exit the ring to a chorus of boos while the Animal simply stands in the ring, gritting his teeth as the fans take this accusing ceremony in.

Jim Ross: Well I think this all to get inside the head of Shawn Michaels just six days before Summerslam. Batista would not have done what he’s being accused of to Shawn Michaels Coach. There’s just NO WAY he would’ve done that, I’m not buyin’ it.

The Coach: Maybe you’re not buyin’ it but I sure as hell am!! It all makes sense now!! The delayed run in last week, why Kane wasn’t afraid to be placed at the scene of the assault, it’s because he didn’t do it!!

Jim Ross: Oh come on! Kane did it and I’m pretty damn sure Eric Bischoff knows it too. Bischoff’s trying to mess with Shawn Michaels mind, he’s trying to get him on his side for Summerslam and I’ll be damned if it ends up working. One thing’s for sure though, we WILL find out by the end of tonight!

The final shot before we fade is of Batista looking pissed off as he glares back up the ramp at Bischoff who faces Tista’s way with that twisted grin on his face. Kane meanwhile is simply trudging up the ramp, his back turned to the World Champion.




Commercials​

We return and standing inside the ring already is the beast of a man known as Rosey who is getting ready for action here.

Jim Ross: Welcome back ladies and gentleman to Monday Night Raw and after a fascinating start to the show, you can see Rosey in your picture as we get set for a No Holds Barred Match!

‘Born Naughty’​

Heat comes through the arena as out steps William Regal, suited and booted, grinning devilishly as out from behind him comes ‘The Protégé’ Mark Jindrak set to compete.

Jim Ross: And this man is the reason why we’re getting a No Holds Barred Match tonight as in just six nights at Summerslam, Mark Jindrak will take on the World’s Largest Athlete, the Big Show in what will no doubt be a brutal No Holds Barred contest. Tonight being looked at as a warm up for ‘The Protégé’.

The Coach: A warm up? A walk in the freakin’ park more like. Jindrak’s been granted this match, he’s been granted a match against a guy who just like Big Show is strong, he’s powerful, he’s a handful but just like Big Show, he can’t cut it against a guy like Mark Jindrak. This could be a massacre and y’know what? So could Sunday night J.R.

Match One: No Holds Barred

Mark Jindrak vs. Rosey

Jindrak starts the match impressively as he overpowers Rosey, despite the former superhero’s size. Jindrak shows real venom and aggression as he picks apart the big man with an array of strong, clubbing left hands along with some stiff forearm shots as William Regal encourages his Protégé from the outside.

Jindrak continues to display a real ruthless side to his game as he whips Rosey hard into the turnbuckle before nearly taking his damn head off with a big boot!! The crowd ooooh at the impact as Rosey slumps to the mat, completely out of it right now, Jindrak simply picking him apart at ease in the opening minute or so here.

Jindrak then goes to the top rope, a surprising move for the big man as Regal continues willing him on. Rosey begins to find his way to his feet, clawing back up as Jindrak steadies himself. Rosey is up, he spins round, Double Axe Handle from Jindrak, Rosey with a head butt to the mid section!! A loud pop greets that as Jindrak is winded and Rosey can now build. Right hands from the big man, Irish whip now, Jindrak rebounds, clothesline from Rosey, Jindrak ducks it! He runs through, comes off the opposite side of the ring and SMASHES Rosey with a clothesline of his own.

Jindrak then decides enough is enough and he heads to the outside!! It appears as though the No Holds Barred ruling will come into play now…as Jindrak grabs a STEEL CHAIR!! Jindrak delivers a menacing glare at Lilian Garcia before plodding slowly back into the ring. He eyes Rosey up and down, the big man getting to his feet before he turns around, SMASH!! JINDRAK TAKES HIS HEAD OFF WITH THE CHAIR!! Rosey is floored as Jindrak clubs him with that chair. It’s all over but William Regal is demanding more!!

Jindrak is set to oblige, he heads over to the lifeless body of Rosey and begins to HAMMER away with chair shots!! Shot after shot across the back of Rosey who is crying out in agony here, Jindrak not letting up as the crowd boo him profusely. Finally, Jindrak takes a moment to stop, tossing the chair aside as he lets out a little smirk before Regal demands he finish this thing now, the damage all done. Jindrak then grabs Rosey and sits him up? Not going for his usual armbar finish, he sits Rosey up, the powerhouse clearly not knowing where he is as Jindrak moves away from his opponent, he takes a run up, what on earth? OHHHHHH, JINDRAK CHARGES AND SMASHES ROSEY’S HEAD IN WITH A KNEE TREMBLER!! The impact reverberating round the arena as Jindrak drops into a cover…1...2...3...emphatic victory
.

Winner: Mark Jindrak(4:08)

The Coach: WOW, did you see that Knee Trembler?! THAT is what that piece of lard Big Show’s in for come Summerslam! I’m telling ya J.R, Jindrak’s gonna put him to the sword! This man is sheer DOMINANCE!

Jim Ross: Yeah but Coach, what the hell is this about?! What is the need for this?! He already beat the man, what’s he got left to prove?

Jindrak is continuing the assault, stomping away all over Rosey from head to toe, William Regal barking orders at his young protégé before Regal goes AND GRABS THAT STEEL CHAIR!!

Jim Ross: Oh come on, the damage is done!!

The Coach: It ain’t about damage, it’s about makin’ a statement cowboy. This is to Big Show, this ain’t got a damn thing to do with Rosey.

Regal places the steel chair around the leg of Rosey, what the hell has he got in mind here?! JINDRAK THEN SCALES UP HIGH TO THE TOP ROPE!!

Jim Ross: NO!! SOMEBODY STOP THIS!!

AND HERE COMES THE BIG SHOW!! Show charges(as fast as he can) down the ramp, the crowd coming alive as Show storms in and WIPES REGAL OUT WITH A RIGHT HAND!! Regal is floored and Jindrak has dropped down, these two bulls gonna go at it!!

Jim Ross: Show and Jindrak!! Summerslam’s come early folks!!

The Coach: Kick his ass Mark!!

Jindrak throws a left hand, Show throws a right, the fist fight is on and it’s Show who’s coming out the better!! Show is forcing Jindrak into the ropes now, Irish whip from the big man, Jindrak halts his momentum in the ropes AND SHOW TAKES HIM UP AND OVER WITH A CLOTHESLINE!! Jindrak drops to the outside as Show lets out a HUGE roar to the crowd!! The giant is fired up and Jindrak wants nothing to do with him now here.

Jim Ross: Mark Jindrak may’ve made a statement tonight but I think Big Show just made one of his own!! He’s not coming to Summerslam to be embarrassed, he’s coming to Summerslam to get him some payback on the ‘Protégé’!!

The Coach: He may be coming for it but he’ll be leaving with NOTHING!! He may’ve got one over on Jindrak tonight but I guarandamntee that come Sunday night, Mark Jindrak will have the last laugh!

Show is growling almost as he peers over the top rope, Jindrak backing up the ramp having escaped with just a clothesline tonight as he pulls William Regal along with him, Regal struggling after that deadly right hand. The crowd loving the heat that’s built between these two men which will come to a head in six nights.

We then head backstage and join Todd Grisham for the first time this evening
.

Todd Grisham: Ladies and gentleman, my guest at this time, please welcome…Edge.

The Rated R Superstar appears into shot, his briefcase in hand, dressed in a t-shirt and his ring gear looking up at the sky, clearly not too keen on this interview.

Todd Grisham: Edge last week you scored a huge victory, defeating the Nature Boy Ric Flair in what may prove to be his final match here on Monday Night Raw. What followed that match was a major brawl between you and Chris Jericho which not for the first time in recent week ended up spilling to the backstage area. Just how heated are things between you and Chris Jericho six nights before you meet at Summerslam?

Edge: Things are heated between us Todd, sure they are. But things have gone full steam ahead lately, things have gone up a notch and that’s because this…has come into play.

Edge points at the briefcase.

Edge: Me and Chris have had our issues but as soon as this came into play, everything has just gone up another level. This briefcase holds a contract enabling me ONE shot at the World Title, just ONE opportunity, anywhere, any time, any place. And now at Summerslam I’ve been put in a position where I have to defend this contract, where I have to risk losing everything that I EARNED!!

Edge looks pretty frustrated now, the intensity levels rising.

Edge: Chris Jericho didn’t earn this, I did. Chris was one of the men I beat at Wrestlemania to earn this and now? Now he’s got a chance at taking it from me, well excuse me if things have gotten ‘heated’ between us but I think that’s MORE than understandable considering what’s at stake here Todd.

Edge is in Grisham’s face here.

Edge: He is desperate to take this away from me, desperate and y’know why? It’s because it’s his last shot, it is his only shot at ever and I mean eeeeeeverrrrrrr…

Edge has a wry smile/laugh at that shot at Jericho before continuing.

Edge: Getting near the World title again. Chris has had opportunity after opportunity, chance after chance and only once has he ever taken that chance, only once has he ever climbed to the top of the mountain. I on the other hand? I’ve never been in that position Todd, I’ve never had the chances Chris has had and you’d better believe that if I did? If I did then I woulda taken them. I woulda taken each and every single one of those chances.

Strong heat for some strong words there.

Edge: For me this contract IS that chance and believe me, it’s only the beginning. This contract marks only the start... of what I’m going to achieve in this industry. For Chris? For Chris this contract, it also marks the beginning, the beginning…of the end.

Edge has a dead serious look in his eye.

Edge: He’s failed to deliver, failed to get back to where he seems to believe he belongs, he’s failed because it is NOT where he belongs, it’s where I DO!! The only place Chris Jericho belongs is IN MY SHADOW AND THIS SUNDAY!! This Sunday…I’m gonna put him there.

Edge has a real glint in his eye as he stares menacingly at Todd Grisham before heading off and we go to a break.

Commercials

‘Whips and Chains’​

We return to Raw to hear the music of the Basham Brothers as out step Doug and Danny to a decent reaction, the two men looking fired up as they get set for a big match tonight just six nights before a huge encounter at Summerslam.

Jim Ross: Welcome back to Monday Night Raw and we are all set for some tag team action. These two men will be a part of the 8 man tag team contest this Sunday night at Summerslam, the Basham’s teaming up with the Dudleyz to take on the Platform to Perfection and the two men they face tonight, Sonjay Dutt and Daivari of the Arabian Entity.

The Coach: They may be a part of that match but they don’t stand a chance. I’m telling ya. Doane and Nemeth are young, quick, confident and they’re DAMN sure talented, same goes for the Entity, HUGELY talented team. These two goofs? They couldn’t lace ANY of those four men’s boots and they’ll get found out here tonight just like they will come Sunday.

Jim Ross: I firmly believe that you’re underestimating these two men and Sunday night may be a definitive night in their careers.

‘Arab America’​

It’s immediate heat for the music of the Arabian Entity and out steps Sonjay Dutt and Daivari, rather stern looks on their faces, they’re clearly ready and raring to go ahead of the big clash at Summerslam also.

The Coach: You wanna talk about a defining night in somebody’s career? It could very well be just that for these two men on Sunday. I’m torn between these two guys and the Perfectionists J.R, I really am. Everything about these guys just screams the word ‘champions’ and I hope they earn their shot Sunday night. Why can’t we have BOTH winning teams get a shot?

Jim Ross: Well I agree that it could be these two men’s night on Sunday. Dutt and Daivari, two extremely talented individuals and have gone from strength to strength under the guidance, under the leadership of Muhammad Hassan.

The Coach: They are a force to be reckoned with and at the end of Sunday night, they’re gonna have the Intercontinental title and possibly…a World Tag Team title shot in the bag, what a night it could be for the four of ‘em.

Match Two: Tag Team Match

Basham Brothers vs. The Arabian Entity; Sonjay Dutt and Daivari

It’s Danny Basham and Daivari who start off proceedings with the Entity member gaining the early advantage, taking Danny down following an exchange of right hands with a nice hiptoss off the ropes. Daivari then works over Danny, a couple of arm drags follow before he works away at the fallen Basham with several elbows dropped onto the ribs, an array of stomps that follow this before he drags Danny over towards their corner, tagging in Sonjay Dutt who immediately storms through the ropes to pick up where Daivari left off.

Dutt keeps up with several hard stomps to Danny’s mid section before dropping a leg across the Basham brother. Cover by Dutt, kick out at two from Danny. Dutt then grabs Danny, pulling him up, nailing him with a right hand before an Irish whip, Danny rebounds right into the path of Dutt who scores with a picture perfect dropkick!! Cover again, kick out at two once more!! Fast paced stuff from Dutt as ever.

The high flier continues to dominate, taking Danny out with a series of knees and stiff rights before an Irish whip and Danny rebounds, Dutt swings, Danny ducks it and rebounds TAKING Dutt out with a cross body!! Into the cover, 1...2...kick out at two as Danny comes from out of nowhere to almost steal it.

Both men are quick to their feet and it’s now Danny who is rolling, taking it to Dutt with right hands before knocking the Cruiserweight down with a big clothesline. Dutt’s up to his feet again, the crowd firmly behind the Bashams here as Dutt falls into the path of Danny who drops him with a Pumphandle Slam!! Cover from Danny…1...2...kick out at two!! Dutt survives by the skin of his teeth with Danny thinking he had it in the bag.

Danny quickly brings Dutt up, delivering a clubbing shot across the back of Dutt before a boot to the mid section. Irish whip now from Danny as Dutt smashes into the turnbuckle, Danny comes charging, elbow to the face from Dutt! Danny stumbles out of the corner as Dutt comes charging, Bulldog!! CONNECTS!! Dutt floors Danny here and he crawls into a cover, 1...2...kick out at two from Danny!

Dutt reassumes control here, working Danny over with more stiff strikes to the head, using his hands and feet to dissect Danny, Doug Basham willing him on from ringside as Dutt now drags Danny over, Daivari tagging into the match once more. Daivari’s in and he quickly picks Danny to his feet, smashing a couple of uppercuts that knock Danny back before an Irish whip but Danny reverses, Daivari rebounds and Danny connects with a spinning heel kick!! Wow! Both men are now down as Danny heads towards his corner, desperate for the tag here, the crowd urging him on.

Danny edges ever closer, Daivari now moving too as he tries to grab a hold of Danny…but it’s too late as Danny tags in Doug!! Doug storms in, scooping Daivari to his feet before dropping him with a scoop slam right back down to the mat. Daivari’s swept up to his feet again, hard elbows form Doug, boot to the gut, Irish whip from Doug, Daivari smashes into his own corner, Doug comes charging and lands a clothesline…Daivari ducks it and Doug hits Dutt!! Sonjay Dutt is taken off the apron and to the outside as Doug is rolled up from behind!! 1...2...3...NO!! Doug kicks out!! Daivari almost stealing it.

Both men are quickly up and Daivari catches Doug with a boot to the gut, he hoists Danny up, suplex incoming but Doug rolls round the back of him, roll up now from Doug!! 1...2...3...HE GOT HIM!! HUGE WIN FOR THE BASHAMS!!


Winners: Basham Brothers(8:16)

The Coach: Oh are you freakin’ kidding me!! How in the hell did these two pull that one off?!

Jim Ross: Hey I warned you Coach, don’t underestimate these two men!! The Basham Brothers with a HUGE win tonight and the momentum is now on board as they head to Washington D.C this Sunday night!

The Coach: It’s a one off, I’ll put my life on it. There is NO WAY they can do it again on Sunday, NO…WAY I-I-is there?

Jim Ross: You can bet your ass there is!! The dark horses just stole a march here tonight!!

The Bashams celebrate their win, heading up the ramp, all guns blazing as they work the crowd who are right on their side here. Daivari and Dutt have a look of frustration inside the ring, perhaps surprised at their loss here tonight, Daivari appearing miffed at having being caught out there as we then head off elsewhere…

To the office of Eric Bischoff where we see Shawn Michaels sat next to the boss, both on separate chairs, Michaels a pretty glum look on his face, his head patched up from last week as he has his head in his hands, Bischoff seemingly in his ear as he leans forward to talk to Shawn.

Eric Bischoff: Shawn it‘s a pretty big deal out there tonight. You can’t let who attacked you last week just get away with it can you? I mean I know I wouldn’t sit back and let somebody do something like that to me and just get away with it, y’know?

Bischoff is clearly trying to get inside Shawn’s head here, Michaels seemingly a million miles away as he stares into space.

Eric Bischoff: You-you do know who attacked you right? I mean, you must have an idea. That was one HELL of an attack last week. Shawn you were…you were laying in a pool of your own blood. I can’t imagine how that musta felt. But tonight? Tonight you get to go out there and you get to do something about it, you get to put it right.

Bischoff is really buttering Michaels up here. Michaels continues staring into oblivion.

Eric Bischoff: I’ve heard all the evidence tonight and I’ve already made my mind up, it doesn’t get any clearer to me. Ric Flair was getting his ass kicked last week and yet Batista, the man who promised to be in his corner was nowhere to be found, he strolled up once the damage was done. Shawn you gotta realise that you’re Batista’s biggest fear this Sunday and that attack last week? It was designed to take…you…out.

Michaels suddenly looks at Bischoff, a stoic expression still on his face however as Bischoff’s eyes widen. Maybe Michaels seeing the light here.

Eric Bischoff: Batista needs you gone, he needs you outta the way this Sunday. Kane?

Bischoff chuckles to himself.

Eric Bischoff: Kane doesn’t need you gone, he doesn’t need you outta the picture. Only one man needs you outta the way on Sunday and later tonight Shawn, you get to go face to face with him. Make the most of it and just like this Sunday…do the right thing.

Bischoff pats Shawn on the back, smirking as Michaels leans forward looking down before back up and into oblivion once more as the camera zooms in on the face of the Showstopper.

Commercials​

We return and immediately get a still image of Doug and Danny Basham seemingly backstage.

Jim Ross: Welcome back to Monday Night Raw and folks during the commercial break we got well, we got a little bit of tension involving the competitors in this Sunday’s 8 man tag team match. Lets take a look.

We go to that still image and it now shows a video where we see Doug and Danny wandering around backstage straight from their match just gone as they appear a little fatigued, out of breath still before they stop in their tracks and the camera shifts to see…The Dudley Boyz! The Bashams partners this Sunday appear, their World Tag Team titles on their shoulders as the four men face off.

Bubba Ray Dudley: Pretty impressive out there tonight. Tip my hat to you but I uh, I hate to break it to ya fellas, it ain’t gonna be the same outcome this Sunday.

Bubba shakes his head, D-Von doing likewise as Danny and Doug look at one another.

Danny Basham: Well thanks Bubba but I uh, I hate to break it…to you, but what you saw out there tonight is exactly what you’re gonna see this Sunday because me and Doug WILL walk out of Washington with you guys and those World Tag Team Titles in our sights.

D-Von doesn’t seem so certain.

D-Von Dudley: My brother as good as you two are, as much as we respect you, there ain’t a chance that we let you leave Summerslam with that winning pinfall. Uh uh, no way. As long as we hold these titles, we gonn’ prove exactly why we’re holdin’ them and that’s because we are the very BEST around here.

Small pop for D-Von’s bragging.

Doug Basham: Well I guess there’s only one thing left to say, come Sunday? May the best team win.

Both teams nod their heads in a show of respect before we hear…clapping? All four men then turn around to see Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth appear!! The Platform to Perfection appear, cockily as ever sporting casual clothes, jeans and shirts, looking the part as the crowd boos their arrival.

Ken Doane: Touching, really…touching. But on behalf of myself and Nick we just wanted to let you know that the best team WILL win on Sunday but there’s not a snowball’s chance in HELL that it’s gonna be any of you four.

Nick Nemeth: Because the best team this Sunday…will be us.

Nemeth points at he and Doane smirking arrogantly.

Nick Nemeth: Just like we were the best team last week against you two chumps(pointing at the Bashams) and just like we will be the best team when we beat you two lumps of lard for those titles.

Bubba Ray Dudley: You better watch your mouth punk before I shove my fist down there.

Nemeth looks a little bit taken aback as the fans pop for that.

Ken Doane: Hey, hey, easy Bubba, easy. Facts are this Sunday night is gonna mark the start of ‘Out with the old’ and ‘In with the new‘. You guys, all four of you are past it, you’ve had your moment, you’ve had your shots, your time on top is DONE. But now? Now it’s our time to shine, now it’s our time to rise to where we belong, the very top of the food chain and when we do? When we do, we’re gonna do it…to perfection.

Doane and Nemeth smirk at one another before heading off as Bubba, D-Von and the Bashams all watch them depart before turning their heads back on one another.

We then head back to ringside where we see The Heart Throbs already in the ring bouncing up and down preparing for action before we hear…


‘Heroes'​

And it’s a strong pop that greets the music of the World’s Greatest Tag Team with Charlie Haas bursting out onto the stage firing up the crowd, Shelton Benjamin a tad more subdued however as he simply focuses on the two men inside the ring.

Jim Ross: Well in six nights time it is indeed do or die for Shelton Benjamin. He’ll take on Muhammad Hassan for the Intercontiental Championship knowing that if he loses, he’s gotta head to the back of the line, no more shots, no more opportunities and Charlie Haas may well get his wish of going after Tag Team gold instead.

The Coach: Which is exactly the way I see it going down J.R. Shelton Benjamin just can’t get it done. A phenomenal athlete, ain’t no doubt about it but Charlie Haas is the leader of the pack. Haas has won match after match, he’s the one who freakin’ earned Shelton his shot at Summerslam! Once Sunday’s over with they can go back to being a team and they can go back to Charlie Haas carrying Shelton Benjamin.

Jim Ross: Charlie Haas carrying Shelton Benjamin? As good as Charlie Haas I don’t believe Shelton Benjamin needs or is being carried by anybody.

The Coach: Give me that same answer after this match is over with and then we’ll talk.

Match Three: Tag Team Match

The World’s Greatest Tag Team vs. The Heart Throbs

It’s Charlie Haas who kicks things off for TWGTT whilst it’s Antonio for the Heart Throbs. Antonio strikes early on, catching Haas off guard and scoring with some strong offense but Haas soon turns the tables, reversing an Irish whip and nailing Antonio with a shoulder block off the rebound. Haas then dominates from here on out, knocking Antonio down with a series of clotheslines before a beautiful German suplex takes Antonio out of things! Haas goes for a cover but it’s broken up at two by Romeo!

Haas continues to assume control, striking Antonio with hard kicks across the body, head to toe Haas works over before hoisting Antonio to his feet, smashing an uppercut before a big Irish whip, Antonio rebounds and Haas takes him down with a beautiful dropkick!! BUT BAM!! Romeo from behind, Romeo made the tag as Antonio hit the ropes!! Haas didn’t see it and he turns right into a right hand as Romeo goes on the offensive here, clubbing away with right hands on Haas, forcing him back. Irish whip now from the Heart Throb and Haas smashes into the corner, Romeo doing a pelvic thrust which draws some heat before charging at Haas, NOBODY HOME!!

Romeo eats the turnbuckle as Haas stumbles out of the corner, the crowd right behind him here as he now charges and SMASHES Romeo with a clothesline! Romeo now in trouble as Haas clutches his lower back, Romeo stumbling right out of the corner, into Haas’ path and Haas nails a boot to the gut, Irish whip now from the submission specialist, Romeo rebounds right into Haas, BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX!! Romeo is floored as Haas pumps up the crowd, he looks set to finish things here…before he sees Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin has his hand outstretched, he’s desperate for the tag here, Haas points out that he’s got this thing won but Benjamin wants in here, he’s pleading with Haas who continues pointing when WHAM!! ANTONIO FROM BEHIND!! Antonio now clubs Haas and takes him down, both Haas and Romeo out of things, the official sending Antonio back to his corner to small heat here.

It’s now a race to their feet and it’s Romeo who looks to be rising. Haas isn’t a million miles behind though as Romeo now finds his way up, using the ropes to help him, Haas to his knees and Romeo goes for a shot, connects, another right hand, Irish whip from Romeo, Haas rebounds, hip toss, NO!! Haas reverses it, spins Romeo round into a hip toss of his own!! Romeo is floored and Haas trudges to his corner, clearly hurt by Antonio’s attack and HE MAKES THE TAG!! Benjamin storms in!! Rights to Romeo, no answer from the Heart Throb as Benjamin goes for an Irish whip, Romeo rebounds, FALLAWAY SLAM!! Beautiful from Benjamin, ANTONIO THOUGH COMES CHARGING AND BENJAMIN TOSSES HIM OVER THE TOP!! The crowd on fire as Benjamin is rolling.

Benjamin now stalks Romeo, the throb is almost to his feet, he gets there slowly, spins round, T-BONE!! CONNECTS!! T-BONE SUPLEX!! Cover…1...2...3...he got him!


Winners: The World’s Greatest Tag Team(4:49)

Jim Ross: There’s your answer Coach! Shelton Benjamin with an impressive victory heading into this Sunday!

The Coach: What the hell do you mean there’s my answer? Charlie Haas did all the work and Benjamin gets all the credit! You have GOT to be kidding me? Charlie Haas can’t do his work this Sunday, it’s all on Shelton Benjamin and I’m telling ya, he just…can’t…do it.

Benjamin and Haas embrace in the ring, Haas raising Shelton’s hand up high, pointing at him as the crowd roars for the talented duo.

We then see backstage where Muhammad Hassan is watching on a monitor, arms crossed as he has a curious look on his face, The Great Khali towering over him while Dutt and Daivari sit in the corner still looking upset after their loss earlier. Hassan then begins to shake his head as we are left to wonder just what’s running through his mind right now.

Jim Ross: Well I think Shelton Benjamin sure as hell can do it Coach. And the man we just saw backstage, he too will be in action here tonight. Muhammad Hassan will take on Chris Jericho and I think he’s the one that has it all to prove heading into Summerslam. Can Hassan do it on his own? We’ll find out later tonight.

The Coach: Can Hassan do it-(starts laughing), can Hassan do it on his own? What next huh? You’re gonna tell me the sky is blue? Unbelievable.

We get a last shot of a stern looking Shelton Benjamin as Charlie Haas pats him on the back, Benjamin nodding to himself as we then head off backstage where we see young Maria who is standing by waiting to talk to us.

Maria: Hey everybody, it’s me, Maria! And guys would you all please welcome my guest tonight, Lita!

The number one contender to the Women’s Championship appears into shot, grinning at the prospect o being ‘interviewed’ here.

Maria: Lita you finally earned a Women’s Championship match last week and this Sunday you’ll get your opportunity against Victoria. She’s really mean by the way isn’t she?

Lita nods, laughing.

Maria: How happy are you that you’ve got your title shot and how confident are you of walking out the new Women‘s Champion on Sunday?

Lita: I’m extremely confi..
BAM!! LITA IS CLUBBED FROM BEHIND BY VICTORIA!! Young Maria begins screaming and calls for help as Victoria begins to hammer away on Lita, vicious right hands from the ruthless Women’s Champion here as Lita is floored!! Victoria then begins to stomp away, the left ankle of Lita taking an absolute battering here as Victoria looks to do exactly what she did to Trish Stratus it would seem.

The champion then brings Lita to her feet, smashing her with another right hand before THROWING LITA INTO A DOOR!! Lita’s head crashes back off that door as she slumps to the floor, a psychotic look coming across the face of this deranged woman as Victoria then opens the door?? What the hell is she doing? BEFORE SHE PLACES LITA’S LEFT ANKLE IN THE DOORWAY!! We then see referees, officials, trainers appear as they plead with Victoria not to do anything, Victoria has grabbed the door though, Lita’s got nowhere to go, SMASH!! VICTORIA HAMMERS THE DOOR INTO LITA’S ANKLE!! Lita begins screaming in pain as Victoria lets out that demented grin once again, trainers immediately gathering around Lita as Victoria may well have left Lita on one leg here. A sickening ambush from the Women’s Champion as the scene is now flooded with people tending to the injured challenger and we fade away.


Commercials​

Jim Ross: Folks lets take you back to moments ago before we went to a Commercial break where we saw this…this hideous assault backstage.

We go to a replay of the events that took place involving Victoria and Lita with the attack by the Women’s Champion shown in full and we then cut back to J.R and Coach, both looking pretty solemn.

The Coach: Well I’m Victoria’s biggest fan J.R but even I gotta admit, she mighta crossed the line here tonight.

Jim Ross: Absolutely. Victoria had no right to do that and you have to wonder now just whether or not we’re gonna get to see that Women’s Championship match this Sunday at Summerslam. Our thoughts go out to Lita right now.

‘WOOOO’

‘Also Sprach Zarathrusta’​

The mood suddenly shifts in a HUGE way as the music of the one and only, Nature Boy, Ric Flair hits and out comes Naitch to a thunderous ovation, all suited and booted as he takes in this crowd’s incredible response.

Jim Ross: But as they say, the show must go on and what better way than to welcome the Nature Boy to the party!

The Coach: There’s about a thousand ways but we’re stuck with this old schmuck. However…I WILL let him have tonight, it is the least I can do because tonight will be the very last night we see Ric Flair on Monday Night Raw again!! This Sunday it comes to an end!! The career, the legacy, no more stylin’ and profiling’, no more ‘Wooo’ crap J.R, it’s done at Summerslam when Captain Charisma puts Ric Flair…down.

Flair has a mic, he’s now beaming as his music dies down, the fans abuzz as the 16 time World Champion gets set to address them.

Ric Flair: Rochester, New York…WOOOOO!!

Huge pop and customary ‘Woooos’ to go with it.

Ric Flair: Now tonig…

‘Just Close Your Eyes’​

Flair freezes with the mic by his mouth, a look of shock on his face as Christian interrupts proceedings before he can barely get a word out. The heat is crazy for Christian’s actions here as down comes Captain Charisma, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt while Tomko stands behind him.

Jim Ross: Oh what the hell is the meaning of this?! Ric Flair barely got a damn word outta his mouth for gods sake.

The Coach: Hey, hey, you watch your mouth J.R. This is Captain Charisma, this is Christian baby!! You should be honoured that he’s comin’ out here, making time for people like us. He’s a busy man you know?

Jim Ross: I should be honoured that he’s coming out here? Gimme a break, I’m insulted he’s coming out here and interrupting Ric Flair like this, let the man have a chance to speak for cryin’ out loud.

Christian and Tomko step through the ropes, Flair now looking at them, grinning, perhaps knowing this was gonna happen while Christian takes a mic from ringside and also begins to smirk, eyeing Flair up and down.

Christian: I’m sorry Ric, really I am but I just couldn’t sit back there and let you start this whole thing off without me.

Flair looks like he’s holding in his anger here.

Christian: I need to be a part of this. Tonight peeps, tonight is a very special occasion that you all get to be a part of because tonight? Tonight is the very last night you will see Ric Flair on Monday Night Raw again.

Big heat for Captain Charisma already here.

Christian: So Ric, what were you gonna say huh? You were gonna come out and talk about how you were looking forward to this Sunday, about how you were looking forward to ‘teaching’ me a lesson right? You were gonna let these people know that this Sunday is not the end for you, it’s only the beginning because Ric Flair will NEVER RETIRE!! WOOOO!!

Christian does his best(worst) Flair impersonation as Flair nods on, the fans Wooooing again at that.

Christian: Well I hate to burst your little bubble but all of that is a bunch of crap Ric and deep down you and I both know it. You know just as well as I do that this Sunday it is the end… for you Ric. At long last I’m gonna put you and I’m gonna put all these people outta their misery when I send you back home to Charlotte, when I send you crawling back to reality, when I send you…to the retirement home.

Christian is getting in Flair’s face a little here but Naitch isn’t batting an eyelid.

Christian: I don’t want you to lie to these people Ric, they need to know the truth and I give that to all of them. I provide all you people with the cold, hard facts because as the leader of a new generation, it is my duty. You folks here in New York get where I’m coming from right?

No, no they don’t as they continue to pour heat on Captain Charisma.

Ric Flair: Enough.

It’s a defiant if unspectacular response from Flair.

Christian: Enough? Enough of what? I’ve had enough alright, I’ve had enough of you coming out and taki…

Ric Flair: I SAID ENOUGH!!

Big pop there.

Ric Flair: You got the audacity to come out here and interrupt me before I even get a DAMN word out my mouth so unless you want me to KICK YOUR ASS ALL OVER NEW YORK…you better SHUT YOUR MOUTH and listen to what I’m about to say to you kid.

Christian scoffs at Flair’s claims.

Ric Flair: You got talent. You got bundles…of talent but you wanna be a leader? Ha ha. You wanna lead a new generation? You gotta have a WHOLE LOT MORE than just…talent.

Flair is pretty passionate in his delivery here.

Ric Flair: You gotta put in hard work, day in day out, you gotta aspire to be the best. You gotta be a role model, act a certain way, behave a certain way because when you got guys ALL OVER THE WORLD that look up to you? That’s a heck of a responsibility you gotta shoulder. And Christian, you gotta be humble, you gotta know exactly where you came from and NEVER…forget it. You have got to be EVERYTHING… that you’re not.

Christian throws his arms up in there.

Christian: Yeah, here it is peeps. Your hero, your ‘role model’ Ric Flair spewin’ a bunch of crap once again just like I told you he would, only this time? This time he’s gone one better! You are the BIGGEST hypocrite I think I’ve ever met in my entire life Ric.

Christian and Flair both look riled up here.

Christian: A good role model? A good…(starts chuckling) A good role model? Coming from you? Are you kidding me? You have got to be one of absolute worst role models for any young kid to look up to. What is it you always like to talk about Ric? What is it you like to brag about? How you’re all about livin’ the high life. About how much money you like to spend, about how many women you like to sleep with, about the fast cars, the private jets.

Christian has an inquisitive look as Flair has perked up a bit here.

Christian: What kinda example is that to all those people who look up to you? You go out and you parade this lifestyle to all these people and they think that’s the way they can live their lives too. You got little kids who are gonna grow up wanting the kinda life you lead Ric when in actual fact, the kinda life you lead is because that's all you have left isn’t it?

Ric Flair: Hey, hey maybe I do like the high life kid, maybe I do like showin’ a woman or two around WOOOO, SPACE MOUNTAIN!!

Nice pop as Flair smirks.

Ric Flair: But I’m able to lead that life because I worked hard to get to where I am today. I worked my ass off all my life to be in the position I’m in right this very second and while I’m in that position? While I’m in THIS position, I’m gonna make the most of EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!

Again it’s a mighty fine pop for those words from Naitch. Christian looks unfazed however.

Christian: That’s the problem you have though Ric. After Sunday’s come and gone, it is all…over. You’re no longer gonna be this ‘role model’ you like to think you are. You’re no longer gonna be able to travel round the country, travel round the world leadin’ a life of luxury. Women aren’t gonna be throwin’ themselves at ya anymore Ric, all they’re gonna be doing is finally looking at what you really are, a pathetic, washed up, over the hill…loser.

Flair hangs his head a little there, nodding all the same.

Christian: And then what? What are you gonna do Ric when there’s no more money? When there’s no more fame, no more high life, no more women falling at your feet, what…what are you gonna do? Because you and I both know the truth don’t we? There is absolutely nothing…left for you. There’s no family for you to turn to, your kids? Pfffft, they don’t give a rats ass about you Ric and who can blame ‘em? After all, your entire life you’ve never been there for any of ‘em, you’ve neglected your kids Ric because oh! That’s what ‘good’ role models do isn’t it?

Ric Flair: You leave my kids…OUTTA THIS!! YOU UNDERSTAND ME HUH?!

Flair throws off his jacket and business is about to pick up here.

Ric Flair: What RIGHT DO YOU HAVE…to bring my children into this? I may not win a father of the year contest but I have ALWAYS tried my hardest to give them everything they ever wanted an..

Christian: And that’s the problem. You tried…but you failed. This Sunday Ric, you’re gonna do the exact same thing… fail. At Summerslam I will beat you, I will send you into retirement and when everything’s said and done for ya, there’ll be nothing Ric, all you’re gonna have left…are the memories.

The two men are now face to face, tension rising in New York as the fans realise just how heated this is getting.

Ric Flair: This Sunday, it’s not about the high life, it’s not about the money, the women, being a role model, hell, it’s not even ABOUT BEING A FATHER!! All this Sunday is about is me going out there and KICKING YOUR ASS!! It’s about me proving to you, proving to everybody out there that there is STILL LIFE IN THE NATURE BOY YET!! This Sunday I am gonna give you every single ounce of blood, sweat and tears that I have inside o’ me and I guarandamntee…I guaran…damn…tee that you get EXACTLY…what’s coming to ya.

Big time pop here, the fans are enthralled by this as both men are laying it all on the line.

Christian: Well I guess…I guess I’ll see you on Sunday Ric but for now, why don’t…why don’t you take this all in huh? Why don’t you savour this? Why don’t you enjoy this? Take a look around, come on, soak it all in because this (pointing around the arena)…this is the very last time you ever step foot on MY show again. August 21st 2005, we’re gonna remember it for a very, VERY long time as the night a new era begins and the night where the career, the legacy of Ric Flair comes…to an end.

Christian then tosses the mic down and his music plays as he and Tomko slowly exit the ring, Christian and Flair’s eyes fixed on one another after a very tense, emotional verbal war there.

Jim Ross: Wow. An tense, fired up, emotional confrontation between two men who will lay it ALL on the line this Sunday. Christian has it all to prove, this Sunday could be the spark he needs, the win he needs to take him to the next level. Ric Flair? This Sunday Ric Flair knows it’s last chance saloon, he MUST win at Summerslam.

The Coach: The stakes are as big as you can get for Ric Flair on Sunday and after hearing that, it’s only made me more confident that Christian will end his career at Summerslam. The passion, the heart from Christian, he let it all out tonight J.R and he told Ric Flair a few home truths. Sunday night, it all ends for the Nature Boy.

Jim Ross: I’m not buyin’ it, never write Ric Flair off Coach. If anybody is going to walk into this kind of environment and come out on top, come out victorious, it’s gonna be the Nature Boy.

Christian backs up the ramp, eyes still firmly fixed on Flair as he lets out a wry smirk. We then see Flair whose attention has shifted and he now begins to look around the crowd, gaze around the arena, perhaps he is indeed taking Christian’s advice and taking this moment in. Perhaps his final night on Monday Night Raw.

Commercials​

We return and the theme song for Summerslam is playing through the arena before we go to the announce table to see J.R and Coach.

Jim Ross: We are counting down the days until Summerslam folks, just six to go and what a night it promises to be. Championships are on the line left, right and centre including the Intercontinental Championship where Muhammad Hassan will defend his title one more time against Shelton Benjamin. A rivalry that dates all the way back to Backlash and it will come to an end at this Sunday. Can Benjamin reclaim his title or will Muhammad Hassan once again find a way to victory?

The Coach: Yes. Yes, yes, yes, Hassan’s gonna do it J.R and he’s gonna finally send Shelton Benjamin to the back of the line, back to where he belongs, in Charlie Haas’ shadow.

Jim Ross: From Friday Night Smackdown, the United States Championship will be on the line. Matt Hardy defends against the Apple Spitter, Carlito!

The Coach: Matt Hardy’s done a good job in keeping’ that title warm for Carlito and this Sunday I’m sure Carlito’s gonna take what’s his.

Jim Ross: No…Holds…Barred. We’ve already seen just how vicious Mark Jindrak is tonight in that environment and this Sunday he meets the Big Show in a match that will be nothing but a war zone in Washington.

The Coach: Mark Jindrak’s beaten Big Show again and again…and again. This Sunday the only difference is it’s gonna be even more nasty, even more vicious, even more brutal than before. The Protégé keeps on prosperin’ at Summerslam.

Jim Ross: Well another championship set to be defended is the Women’s Championship however after what has transpired here tonight, I’m not entirely sure we’re gonna see this one on Sunday night. Victoria heinously assaulting Lita backstage and a question mark now hangs over the health of the Daredevil Diva.

The Coach: I think it’s a HUGE question mark. That attack backstage by Victoria was uncalled for but it was damn sure impressive. She crossed the line tonight but she’s made her impact.

Jim Ross: Also from Friday Night Smackdown a man I have been very impressed with since debuting a few months ago, Bobby Lashley puts his undefeated streak on the line against the Wall Street Warrior, JBL!!

The Coach: I’ll admit, Lashley’s been extremely impressive. The speed, the size, the power of this kid is unfreakinbelievable but in JBL he’s got his toughest opponent to date. If anybody knows how to win a match it’s John Bradshaw Layfield.

Jim Ross: And how about this one? The Money in the Bank contract will be on the line as Chris Jericho has the opportunity to steal Edge’s shot, dash his dreams and take that contract on Sunday night. Will Jericho shatter Edge’s title hopes or will the Rated R Superstar prove too crafty for his fellow Canadian?

The Coach: Edge said it himself tonight, it’s the beginning of the end for Chris Jericho on Sunday. His time on top is done, it’s Edge’s time to shine and at Summerslam he’s gonna score a BIG victory.

Jim Ross: Speaking of big, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. We heard from both of these men just moments ago, Christian goes one on one with Ric Flair who has it ALL to lose. Christian wins on Sunday? The Nature Boy’s career goes with it.

The Coach: The stakes are huge come Sunday night. Do or die for Ric Flair and it may break a few hearts out there but it’s time for Ric Flair to get put in his place. It’s time for Captain Charisma to bring to the table what we ALL KNOW he’s capable of!! Christian retires Flair on Sunday and I CAN…NOT WAIT!!

Jim Ross: Legend vs. Legend Killer. At Wrestlemania, Randy Orton could not end the streak, this Sunday he aims to go one step further, he aims to end the career…of The Undertaker.

The Coach: If anybody can do it, it’s gonna be Randy Orton. This man is the future of the WWE and The Undertaker, as legendary as he is, just like Ric Flair he’s gonna get sent packing Sunday night. Randy Orton walks outta Washington with yet another legend on his hitlist baby.

Jim Ross: The WWE Championship will also be decided as John Cena faces perhaps his toughest test to date when he takes on the Wrestling Machine, Kurt Angle!!

The Coach: Cena’s been dodgin’ this bullet for far too long now and on Sunday he comes face to face with his worst fear. Kurt Angle will take John Cena to school at Summerslam and we’re gonna have a new WWE Champion.

Jim Ross: And the one we’re all waiting for. The World Heavyweight Championship. Batista, the Animal defends against the Big Red Machine, Kane. Shawn Michaels will be the Special Guest Referee and it could all come down to the Heartbreak Kid’s actions this Sunday night.

The Coach: Eric Bischoff wants Shawn Michaels to do the right thing. He wants him to count Batista…down. I got full faith that HBK’s gonna do Eric Bischoff proud Sunday night and I got full faith we’re gonna crown a BRAND NEW World Heavyweight Champion.

Jim Ross: Well indeed it promises to be an incredible night as we draw ever closer to Washington D.C, to Summerslam!!

‘Arab America’​

And not for the first time tonight we hear this music as out steps the Intercontinental Champion, Muhammad Hassan joined by the behemoth that is The Great Khali as the crowd immediately goes to work on booing the Entity leader.

Jim Ross: And as we just mentioned this man will have just one more challenge to deal with from Shelton Benjamin on Sunday. Hassan has time and again managed to somehow, someway escape from Shelton Benjamin with his title intact, Sunday night could prove to be the night where it all catches up on Muhammad Hassan.

The Coach: Do you know how disrespectful that is J.R? For you to doubt a champion like that, gimme a break. This man has worked DAMN HARD to hold onto that Intercontiental title and you wanna disrespect him like that? You should be ashamed of yourself.

Jim Ross: Well we’ll see just how hard Hassan has worked this Sunday. Can he really do it without the help of this monster of a man? Without the help of Dutt and Daivari?

The Coach: Of course he can! He’s Muhammad Hassan!! He’s the greatest Intercontiental Champion of ALL TIME!!

J.R simply huffs as Hassan awaits the arrival of his opponent…

‘Break the Walls Down’​

And it’s a BIG time pop that greets the music of Y2J, Chris Jericho who steps out on stage looking fired up and fresh as he heads into a huge match up come Summerslam with a warm up here tonight.

Jim Ross: Sunday night may be a big night in Muhammad Hassan’s career but it may be an even bigger one for Chris Jericho as a shot at the World title looms large. Jericho takes on Edge for the Money in the Bank contract with Y2J sure to realise just how big an opportunity that contract is.

The Coach: It’s about as big as it comes. A guaranteed, lemme reiterate that, a guaranteed shot at the World title anytime you want right up until Wrestlemania. That is HUGE J.R but Jericho? Please. Jericho doesn’t stand a chance Sunday night. Edge ain’t letting that briefcase go anywhere, that contract is staying in his hands believe me and I’m pretty damn sure that by the time Wrestlemania’s come and gone, Edge will be our World Heavyweight Champion, the man has…it…ALL.

Match Four: Singles Match

Muhammad Hassan vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho dominates the Intercontiental Champion from the get go with Hassan having no answer for Jericho’s solid offense as Y2J takes it to his opponent with big time right hands and some hard hitting clotheslines as Hassan struggles to find his feet. Once that onslaught is over with, Jericho allows Hassan to his feet, the crowd firmly behind the Ayatollah of Rock ‘N Rolla as he NAILS Hassan with a beautiful dropkick! He scurries into the cover, 1...2...kick out from Hassan!! A livewire opening minute or so for Y2J here.

Jericho looks to continue his momentum, smashing Hassan with rights before a boot to the gut, Irish whip from Y2J, Hassan rebounds and he ducks Jericho’s advances. Jericho spins round, thumb to the eye from Hassan!! The I.C. Champion buying himself some time as Jericho stumbles away, Hassan spins him back round and drops him with a swinging neck breaker!! Cover from Hassan, kick out at two from Jericho!! The Entity leader now assuming control after a shaky opening.

Hassan begins to work over the fallen Jericho, a series of elbows dropped across the chest of Jericho with Y2J wincing in pain, Hassan very methodical in his approach as he smashes away with several kicks across the chest before a stinging elbow across the throat with Jericho squealing in discomfort. Hassan then taunts the crowd, arms outstretched as they boo the arrogant Arab American. Hassan then delivers another clubbing stomp across Jericho’s throat, Jericho struggling for breath, perhaps winded and now the throat being targeted before Hassan locks in a vicious sleeper hold here!!

Hassan wrenches the hold in with Jericho clearly struggling for breath, Hassan showing that vicious streak he has inside him as we see the devilish Great Khali watching on ringside, the crowd now willing Y2J back into this thing as the referee makes a check on him. Jericho is throwing his arms around, trying to battle out of this but Hassan has it in tight, Jericho beginning to fade here, his arms that were flapping are now falling and the referee makes another check before he holds Jericho’s right arm up…and it drops!!

Jericho’s in trouble now, the crowd building up a ‘Y2J’ chant as the referee raises Jericho’s arm up high once again…and AGAIN it drops. Jericho’s on the verge here now as Hassan’s determination is evident. The referee goes to Jericho’s arm again, he raises it high and…JERICHO SHOWS SOME FIGHT!! The crowd comes alive as Jericho keeps his arm held high, digging in here as he uses every ounce he’s got to somehow get to his knees, digging away now with elbows to the mid section of Hassan here, the I.C. Champion’s grip is loosening as Jericho breaks free!! Y2J fights out of things and perhaps now the momentum is on his side as he begins an ambush on Hassan!! Stinging right hands from Jericho, Hassan being forced back, Irish whip from Jericho and Hassan smashes into the corner, Jericho comes charging, Hassan though gets a boot up!!

Jericho goes spiralling and Hassan comes sprinting in but Jericho with a boot to the gut, suplex to Hassan!! The I.C Champ is caught as Jericho takes control once more. Cover from Y2J…1...2...kick out at two!! Jericho is quickly up though and he brings Hassan up also, forearms from Jericho here before another Irish whip, Hassan springs into the ropes but he holds on and Jericho charges BUT HASSAN PULLS THE ROPES DOWN!! Jericho lands hard on the outside as Hassan takes a breather before heading right back after Y2J!

Hassan grabs Jericho pulling him up before a big right hand BUT JERICHO FIGHTS BACK WITH A RIGHT HAND OF HIS OWN!! Hassan throws another, Jericho right back and a fist fight ensuing on the outside before Hassan with a knee to the ribs!! Jericho is doubled over and Hassan tosses him like rag doll into the apron!! Jericho’s back smashes off the ring apron and he falls to the outside as Hassan then launches a scathing attack with some vicious kicks to Jericho’s lower back, all the more heat being poured on him as he then drags Jericho upright, tossing him inside the squared circle once again, following in hot pursuit.

Hassan rolls Jericho over into the cover, 1...2...kick out at two as Jericho shows he’s not going down without a fight here. Hassan looks a little frustrated but he picks himself up, bringing Jericho up again with him and he nails a kick to the gut, Hassan now looking to hoist Jericho up high…but Jericho slides down the back of Hassan, spins the I.C Champion round…CODEBREAKER!! Jericho nails Hassan from out of nowhere, the Entity leader stranded here, laid out as Jericho runs the ropes, springboard…LIONSAULT CONNECTS!! Cover by Jericho, 1...2...3...NO!! HASSAN GETS THE SHOULDER UP!! Jericho looks in some pain, his back having taken a beating off the ring apron there. He looks at the official holding three fingers up but he’s told the outcome once again to disappointment.

Y2J picks himself up, a look of determination in his eye as he goes over to Hassan, grabs the legs, WALLS OF JERICHO TIME!! BUT THE GREAT KHALI IS ON THE APRON!! Khali is up, the referee tries to get him down, Jericho breaks the hold, heads over to the giant and DELIVERS A BASEBALL SLIDE INTO THE KNEES OF KHALI, TAKING THE BIG MAN DOWN!!

The crowd roars as Jericho floors the mammoth of a man, heading back to Hassan and he goes for the Walls BUT HASSAN WITH AN INSIDE CRADLE!! 1...2...3...NO!! Jericho kicks out!! Both men are quickly up and JERICHO GRABS THE LEGS, WALLS OF JERICHO LOCKED IN AGAIN!! Hassan has nowhere to go!! He’s crying out in agony, he’s all set to tap here as Y2J ferociously locks it in. The referee checks on Hassan but…Jericho breaks the hold?? Because EDGE is on the apron!! Edge is on the apron with briefcase in hand. Jericho runs the ropes, what the hell? SPRINGBOARD DROPKICK!! JERICHO KICKS THE BRIEFCASE RIGHT INTO THE FACE OF EDGE KNOCKING MR.MITB DOWN!! The crowd goes wild…BUT JERICHO’S ROLLED UP FROM BEHIND!! 1...2...3...HE GOT HIM!! Hassan steals it!!


Winner: Muhammad Hassan(11:14)

Jim Ross: Damn it!! Hassan gets lucky!! Edge did enough to cost Chris Jericho!!

The Coach: Beautiful J.R! Jericho may’ve gotten one over on Edge, he may’ve knocked Edge off the apron but it’s the Rated R Superstar who’s heading to Washington with the last laugh!! Jericho got beat, end of story and it’ll be the EXACT same story in six nights time cowboy!

Jericho sits up, realising that Edge diverting his attention has cost him the match here tonight. He stares up the ramp where we see Edge now, clutching his MITB briefcase, smiling devilishly despite having his face blasted with that briefcase, realising he’s managed to cost Y2J here. We then see Muhammad Hassan who is standing outside, his hand being raised by the official as he pants heavily, out of breath following a hard night’s work here before he gazes at the Intercontiental Championship he’s handed, perhaps for the last time with his scheduled battle Sunday night against Shelton Benjamin. The final shot is of a seething Jericho before that twisted grin of the Rated R Superstar as he watches on.

Commercials​

We return and we are in Eric Bischoff’s office with the GM scribbling away at something as he sits at his desk. There’s no sign of Shawn Michaels however who is set to make his address in mere moments. Bischoff though suddenly looks up, a look of intrigue on his face.

Eric Bischoff: Can I uh, can I help you? I mean, can’t you see I’m just a little bit busy right now?

The camera then pans and we see Mr.Kennedy appear! Kennedy is greeted with a mixture of boos and some cheers thrown in as he chews his gum, sporting his usual cocky smile.

Mr.Kennedy: Oh I can see alright Eric. I can see you’re a very busy man but that? That…is my problem. You’ve become a little too busy, a little too invested in just one thing around this place haven’t ya?

Eric Bischoff: Woah, woah, woah, look where’s this going huh?

Kennedy looks taken aback by Bischoff’s rude approach.

Mr.Kennedy: Well I’m uh, I’m ever so sorry to waste your time Eric but it’s about damn time you started showin’ me some respect around here alright?

Kennedy’s sarcastic approach turns serious quick.

Mr.Kennedy: Now I’ve only been here a few weeks and the reason I came here, the reason I came to this show was because I wanted to make an impact right at the very top. I’ve said it before and I will gladly say it again, I am a game…changer, I can transform this company, transform thisbusiness... like no one before. But…Eric, that’s not what’s happened, that’s not the kind of opportunity that you’ve handed me so far is it?

Kennedy looks at Bischoff with that smirk again, his hands wide apart.

Mr.Kennedy: All I’ve done is take on joke after joke so far. I mean Eugene? Are you freakin’ kiddin’ me? And guess what? (Starts laughing) Guess what? Tonight… I’m not even on the card! THAT…is a huge, huge mistake you’re makin’ Eric. So I wanna know, ah ah ah, I…DEMAND to know just what you’re gonna do about it.

Kennedy crosses his arms, awaiting Bisch’s response as the GM huffs and puffs.

Eric Bischoff: Y’know what? You’re right. Really, you’re right. Maybe I have been too caught up in this whole thing with Shawn, this whole thing with Batista but after Summerslam? That’ll all be over with and I can start focusing on other aspects of this show, other important aspects…like you.

Kennedy starts to smile now as Bischoff joins in.

Eric Bischoff: I’ve seen you in action, I know what you’re capable of and I DEFINITELY agree that you are a game changer. Mark my words, after this Sunday? You’ll start getting what you deserve.

Bischoff offers Kennedy his hand, Kennedy looking at it for a moment.

Mr.Kennedy: It’s not just what I deserve, it’s what you deserve, it’s what the people watching at home deserve, it’s what EVERYBODY deserves. These people wanna see me, they wanna see…greatness and after Summerslam it is what they WILL GET courtesy MISTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR KENNEDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

Kennedy then heads off as Bischoff chuckles to himself.

Eric Bischoff: I like that guy. Now…where was I?

Bischoff goes to sit down back at his office, a remote control in hand before…

Mr.Kennedy: KENNEDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

Bischoff nearly has a heart attack as Kennedy reappears to finish off his little echo there and we head off back to ringside with the crowd getting a little giggle out of that.
‘Sexy Boy’​

And it’s a HUGE pop as we hear Shawn Michaels music hit and out comes the Showstopper, not cutting a very happy figure as he makes his way down towards the ring.

Jim Ross: Well folks I think business is about to pick up. Shawn Michaels was left bloodied and battered as Raw went off the air last week at the hands of we believed Kane. However tonight the rumour mill has begun and Kane, alongside Eric Bischoff have accused Batista of being the attacker. Shawn Michaels is all set to address things right about now and with all three of these men inside the ring at the same time, this thing could very well explode Coach.

The Coach: Explode is the exact word J.R. I think Shawn Michaels knows who attacked him last week and I think he’s gonna give ‘em a dose of Sweet Chin Music right here tonight and I think it’s gonna be Batista!!

Jim Ross: I’m still not buyin’ it Coach. Just why would it be Batista? Why?

The Coach: Lets wait and find out.

Michaels takes a microphone from Miss Garcia and awaits his music to die down, a very solemn look still on his face here, his head still patched up. He huffs a little bit before he finds his voice.

Shawn Michaels: Last week was…last week kinda summed up the way things are goin’ for me right now didn’t it?

Michaels paces, trying to laugh off last week but its clear he can't.

Shawn Michaels: Last week I was headin’ out to this very ring and I was gonna show everybody that I’m doin’ my own thing now come Summerslam. That I’m done with takin’ orders and choosin’ sides. I’ve had a lot of problems with Kane, I’ve had a lot of problems with Batista but when all’s said and done I wanted them to know that their match at Summerslam will simply be won… by the better man.

Michaels touches his bandage now, looking down at the mat.

Shawn Michaels: But then…then this happened. I was walkin’ around backstage, all set to come on down here and make my mark. Only…I didn’t make it that far. I didn’t make it down to the ring because I was attacked backstage like…like never before in my career. Last week…I tasted my own blood.

Michaels is almost questioning it here as the crowd boo for the blood Michaels shed last week.

Shawn Michaels: And y’know, I’ve seen the footage from last week, and as Raw went off the air its final shot, its final image was me lying there, helpless, laid out cold. There was blood covering my face, there was blood all around where I lay and then…then there was Kane.

Oh. There’s a bit of a pop there as Michaels seems to be getting down to business.

Shawn Michaels: Kane stood over me as I lay there unconscious and all he could do…was laugh. I know Kane’s been wanting to get his hands on me, I know he’s been wanting payback after I hit him with some Sweet Chin Music and I get that, I do. But attacking a man from behind? That’s not the way to do it, if Kane wanted a piece of me, all he had to do…was ask.

A pretty nice pop greets that as Shawn shows he’s not afraid.

Shawn Michaels: But it’s not as crystal clear as that, it never is around this place. I get here tonight and I’m sittin’ in the back watching as Eric’s out here talkin’ with Kane and then, just when you thought you’d heard it all, Kane goes and says something that…that NOBODY thought could be true.

Michaels huffs again, a look of confusion on his face before he speaks once more.

Shawn Michaels: He says that he didn’t attack me last week. He says that maybe we should look elsewhere, maybe we should look at somebody else who’s got a problem with the Showstopper, maybe we should look…at Dave Batista.

Michaels suddenly displays a stern look across his face.

Shawn Michaels: At that point, suddenly I’m thinking, hold on just a second, could it? Could it really…could it really have been Batista? And well, here we are and right now, I wanna get to the bottom of this. So D…

‘I Walk Alone’​

And you don’t even have to ask as out steps the World Champion Batista, marching with authority down the ramp as he has his sights set on Shawn Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid not looking phased as he locks eyes with the champion, the man who’s fate he may very well decide this Sunday.

Jim Ross: Does this mean what I think it means Coach? Does this mean that Shawn Michaels doesn’t know who ambushed him last week? Is the Heartbreak Kid gonna have to play the guessing game both here tonight and as he heads to Washington on Sunday?

The Coach: I think it does…BUT I think we’re about to find out the truth, one way or another, I think Shawn Michaels is gonna know just who took him out last week and in my opinion, it’s this man right here.

Batista takes a microphone, still not taking his eyes off the Showstopper as he gets set to plead his case.

Batista: Really? You really think I woulda done that to you last week Shawn? Yeah I’ve got my issues with you but you are STILL…Shawn Michaels. You are still one of the greatest superstars this business has seen, you’re someone I’ve always looked up to, someone I’ve always admired, ALWAYS respected and I would never do something like that to you…from behind.

Oooooh. Batista snarls here as he and Michaels are face to face. The crowd are split here.

Batista: Cos make no mistake about it Shawn. Face to face, man to man like we are right now, these past few weeks, this past month, I’ve been wanting to tear…your…head off. That admiration, that respect I talked about, a lof of that…has gone. This whole thing with you and Bischoff, it’s left me lookin’ at you in a different light.

Batista is pretty intense here as Michaels listens carefully.

Batista: And if you even think for one SECOND…about screwin’ me over this Sunday then that attack last week Shawn? (Starts chuckling) That attack will be nothing compared to what I do to you. You got a chance to make things right come Summerslam and believe me…you’d better take it.

Michaels hangs his head a touch before looking right back up at Big Dave again.

Shawn Michaels: Like I said earlier Dave, this Sunday I’m gonna call it like I see it, whether it’s what Eric Bischoff wants or not. The better man will win this Sunday…unless…you get in my way.

The tension is rising here, Michaels and Batista now separated by thin air almost.

Shawn Michaels: I know that just like Kane, you were after me last week. You did wanna piece of me and if it comes down to it at Summerslam and you find yourself standin’ exactly where you are right now and you got just one shot, just one opportunity at getting that payback on me, you’re gonna take it aren’t ya?

Batista turns his head, now not looking at HBK.

Shawn Michaels: Well I got news for ya, if that’s what you’re planning, if that’s what you’ve got in store on Sunday then I have got absolutely no problem…in kickin’ your teeth straight…down…your…throat.

Pop for this, the crowd behind Michaels, a few boos thrown in though. Both men seemingly being cheered for everything they say. The two now look at boiling point, face to face, extremely steely looks on both men’s faces, this thing may be about to explode…

‘BOOM’

‘Slow Chemical’​

Before that’s exactly what it does as Kane’s music hits and the Big Red Machine strides down, a smirk on his face, Batista turning round to face his opponent on Sunday, Michaels switching his sights between both men.

Jim Ross: An EXTREMELY heated situation here Coach and I think things are about to get even hotter!

The Coach: This is the one time I didn’t wanna see Kane!! These two were about to tear each other apart!!

Kane steps over the top rope, still smirking as he looks first at Batista, then at Michaels, a microphone in hand.

Kane: Sorry to interrupt but I believe this was supposed to involve all three of us here tonight, and I believe... it was supposed to see just who attacked you last week Shawn, be revealed. Well here we are and there is still no great reveal about the truth, there is still no confession about the truth. So Dave, I’m out here to force…that confession out of you. Ha ha.

Boos ring around for the Big Red Machine here as he laughs to himself in that deranged manner of his.

Batista: You wanna force a confession outta me?

Batista then takes his shirt off.

Batista: Take your best damn shot.

It’s game on here as Kane drops his microphone, Batista drops his. The two men come together, Kane still smirking and BAM!! Batista throws the first right, Kane the next and these two bulls are going at it!!

Jim Ross: The fight is on!! Batista and Kane!! Summerslam has come early here in New York!!

The Coach: Kane’s gonna get that confession outta the World Champion and he’s gonna do it in style!!

Batista goes for an Irish whip, Shawn Michaels is simply watching on here as the chaos ensues. Kane comes back off the ropes, Batista swings, Kane ducks it!! Batista spins back round, Kane now facing him, Batista charges, CLOTHESLINE!! Kane ducks it and BATISTA TAKES SHAWN MICHAELS DOWN!!

The Coach: Just like last week J.R!! Batista takes Shawn Michaels out!! I knew it was him!!

Batista looks down at the damage down, he’s taken Shawn Michaels out here as he then turns back around, GOOZLE!! CHOKESLAM TIME!! NO!! BATISTA SLIDES OUT OF IT!! He spins Kane around, kick to the gut, BATISTABOMB INCOMING!! KANE GOES UP HIGH!! BATISTABOMB….CONNECTS!!

Jim Ross: Statement made from the World Champion!! A Batistabomb to Kane!! Will this be the scene come Sunday?! Will Batista stand tall in our nation’s capital, will Batista stand tall on his return home? Wi…OH GOOD GOD!!

BAM!! SWEET CHIN MUSIC TO BATISTA!! Michaels just stuck it to the World Champion with a DEVASTATING DOSE OF SWEET CHIN MUSIC!!

Jim Ross: SWEET CHIN MUSIC TO BATISTA!! SHAWN MICHAELS HAS MADE HIS MARK HERE TONIGHT AND IN JUST SIX NIGHTS, THAT VERY MARK COULD DETERMINE THE FATE OF BATISTA, COULD DETERMINE THE FATE OF THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP!!

The Coach: Get a good look, cos this is the scene on Sunday, Batista taken out and Shawn Michaels doing…his…job.

Michaels stands over a fallen Batista, a sinister look in his eye, not removing Batista from his sights as the Heartbreak Kid looks ominously motivated right now.

Jim Ross: Washington D.C, August 21st, it’s Summerslam!! It’s Batista one on one with Kane, the World Heavyweight Championship, Shawn Michaels as the Special Guest Referee. A BLOCKBUSTER SHOWDOWN THIS SUNDAY NIGHT!! WHO’S FATE WILL SHAWN MICHAELS DECIDE, WILL THE HEARTBREAK KID DO THE RIGHT THING OR WILL HE SELL HIS SOUL…TO THE DEVIL?!!?

That same image of Michaels standing over Batista is shown, Kane is then shown totally laid out following the Batistabomb before a shot of a lifeless World Champion is displayed. We then suddenly cut backstage where we see Eric Bischoff watching on a monitor in his office, a smirk on his face as he is applauding what he’s witnessing. Bischoff then turns and faces the camera, that smile still fixed on his face.

Eric Bischoff: I told you all that this would happen, that Shawn Michaels would finally see the light. All of you watching this at home are now starting to see what I already knew was gonna happen!! See I know for a FACT…that it was Kane who attacked Shawn last week on Raw, what? You REALLY thought i didn't know? Please. But guess what? The mind? Its a powerful thing and when you’ve got all kinds of thoughts runnin’ through your head, you don’t know what to believe anymore.

Bischoff chuckles to himself.

Eric Bischoff: Tonight, Shawn Michaels? He didn’t know what to believe. He didn’t know what was true so you know what he did? He went with his gut, he went with his instinct and his instinct…told him Batista. This Sunday his instinct is gonna be the exact same. When he has a choice to make on Sunday and he can only pick one…of those two men to hit with some Sweet Chin Music, he’s gonna choose Batista and when he does?

Bischoff can’t help but laugh to himself before that smile comes across again.

Eric Bischoff: When he does, the Animal will at long last…be put down and Monday Night Raw will finally…finally become Eric Bischoff’s…again.

Bischoff then shuffles a couple of papers before tossing them onto his desk and laughing to himself before we return to a shot of inside the ring where we see Michaels completely unmoved as he stands over Batista, however he then turns and looks at Kane, no emotion whatsoever before turning back to Batista and we then fade…to…black.


Date: 21st August 2005
Location: Washington DC

World Heavyweight Championship:
Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
Batista(c) vs Kane

WWE Championship:
John Cena(c) vs Kurt Angle

If Ric Flair loses, he must retire:
Christian w/Tomko vs Ric Flair

Randy Orton vs The Undertaker

WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Muhammad Hassan(c) vs Shelton Benjamin

Money in the Bank Contract:
Edge vs Chris Jericho

WWE United States Championship:
Matt Hardy(c) vs Carlito

8 Man Tag Team Match:
The Dudley Boyz and The Basham Brothers vs Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari; The Arabian Entity

John Bradshaw Layfield vs Bobby Lashley

No Holds Barred Match:
Mark Jindrak w/William Regal vs Big Show

WWE Women's Championship:
Victoria(c) vs Lita
 
#168 ·
Right, results day and all related activities are over so I can get to some feedback (Y)

Glad you didn't go for the same strategy as Smackdown and not have the main event players kick the show off because of what happened last week, it had to be these guys starting proceedings. I liked what you did with Bischoff making him look like a total prick by mentioning how the attack on Shawn affected him and ignoring the fact that Shawn actually got attacked and that his employee is hurt, nice touch. Kane's inclusion in at this point is good and I liked the little tease with Kane almost getting angry with Bischoff. Batista being accused is also another way to think about it and going back to last week, the logic makes sense. Obviously this was going to draw Batista out. I like this Batista when he gets angry, and you captured it well and all his emotions were conveyed right. Really liked the interaction between Batista and Kane here as I have with all of their verbal encounters in the build up so far, but Bischoff getting the last laugh here was good as it sets an interesting tone to kick off the show.

Jindrak was always going to be the winner in this match, but it was still enjoyable to read. Good that you didn't go overboard with the weapons as to not spoil it. We've seen Jindrak is able to take on the big boys and pitting him against Rosey in this environment was a nice little preview for the match at Summerslam which has the potential to be ace but I think has found itself being overshadowed especially with everything else going on on the Raw side of things. Nice to see Big Show end it all on the upper hand, as even though I'm sure Jindrak will get the win to decisively win the feud.

Edge interview was really good here, and I liked the way you made sure to keep referring back to the question asked and using it to kind of take the mickey out of Todd in a way; standard Edge. I've already said it to you but I think this match is going to be the showstealer at Summerslam, and you've played the angle very well. Nice segment.

I've been noticing the increased popularity each week for the Basham Brothers, and it shows that they do deserve their place in the match at Summerslam and aren't just the "4th team" anymore, and could pull off the shocker. Also extremely surprised that they got the win tonight as I thought it was going to be a dead cert that AA would win. Even though it was only from a roll up, so both teams do come out looking strong, but this is a huge positive for the Bashams. The little disagreements backstage between the teams is another good touch to this rivalry, and also gives the Dudleys and PTP a chance to be on the show and voice their opinions. Good to see you're giving each feud some decent time and attention on this show.

Charlie Haas = Don. Seriously, you made Haas look like a total beast in this match, and I think this will all play into the events after Summerslam where whether Shelton wins or loses, Haas is going to be convinced that they are still the best tram around and I expect this angle between the two partners to go on for some time yet. We've seen it all before, but I like the twist you're putting on it with Haas looking like the one that should be going for the IC Title after his recent performances.

Nice to see you adding some spice to the Women's feud, which similar to the Jindrak/Show match finds itself being overshadowed by the other matches but adding in the "injured challenger" makes it that more interesting although I expect Lita to still come and have a go at it at Summerslam. Slamming ankle in the door was legit cringe though... that would hurt :lmao

So much love for this promo. This being the part of the show I was looking forward to reading the most and it totally delivered. This could be Flair's last night on Raw and he gets to say about 10 words before Christian comes and spoils it; very very smart heelish move to pull and would have gotten him a lot of heat. The theme of the show so far has been quite a dark one with the Michaels attack stuff, and then Lita getting messed up so stopping Flair from going all cheesy was good to see. I loved seeing the varied emotions from Flair as Christian tries to taunt him, but Flair trying to prove that nothing would ruin his night was a nice touch, but Christian was obviously going to break the shell at some point or another. I like it when Flair gets all heated and fired up and you capture that trait really well when you write Flair promos, knowing exactly where to capitalize the words for emphasis and others should take example of that. I knew the kids card was going to be played in this promo but it shows how well you've got Christian down that he was able to reel all of that other stuff off. And the ending was just perfect. We didn't need them to fight here because now was for the last words between them and Christian getting the last words in tells me that he'll win, but on the other hand Flair didn't get to speak properly so this segment throws it all up into the air. A lot was expected from this promo and it certainly delivered; great job man.

Great match between these two, and if Hassan is to win at Summerslam, I think Jericho is his next challenger. Jericho managing to overcome Khali and Edge but to then get rolled up was really good to see because it gives Hassan a big scalp ahead of Summerslam, and I think this was a little case of foreshadowing with Hassan winning despite not earning it himself. Jericho punking Edge out by knocking him out was good to see, and despite losing, he doesn't lose any face against Edge because Jericho won the personal battle between the two of them tonight.

Kennedy joining Team Eric. Book it. Ending made me laugh a lot :lmao

Michaels was on point here, and you got him down to a T now, as you have with most of the guys. What he was saying was interesting, and it proves that Bischoff is truly inside his head for the mere fact that Michaels thought it could have been Batista. Tista coming out was again predictable, and I've enjoyed the interactions between HBK and Batista as the tension between them is just unbearable and HBK is going to get a shot soon I think which will be awesome to see as Bischoff's "last chance" to own the gold. I knew when Kane came out at this point it was going to get physical... which it had to to be honest; only way to go. Batista accidentally taking Shawn down was again a nice little touch and throws everything up into the air for Summerslam once again.

To quote myself.
Oh Eric Bischoff you total ****.
:lmao Told you I'd put that in. But in all seriousness, such an awesome and epic way to end the show, even if JR commentary wasn't good enough. A nice little angle to run and to have it all solved in this show was great and it adds so much more to this match at Summerslam. Top ending to the show.

Overall, probably one of the best shows from you I've read, mate. Everything was advanced going into the PPV, and the whole Main Event angle and of course that Christian/Flair promo were the things that stood out most to me, and were the highlights. Glad to see Raw is done and dusted for now, looking forward to Smackdown! Fantastic job mate (Y)
 
#169 ·
JAM's Review
Oh Eric Bischoff, haha. You've got all three guys character down and it was really fun to read. I like that you display Bischoff's arse-ness here, what he had to say was great. Even blaming HBK himself for getting himself into this predicament. Not usually a fan of the “blaming game” card but it worked well here. You did great with Batista here, surprisingly. I look back at it, and Batista's face promos always seemed kind of generic but here, it was definitely different and a good read. Kane won't be outshined here as I think he was the best one out of all three. You caught the maniacal behavior that Kane display great, good opening segment here.

Liking the fact that you didn't go overboard with this No Holds Barred Match with the weapons. Jindrak was always going to win this so the aftermath had to have something, and it did. Big Show having the upperhand here in the end leads me to believe that Jindrak will get the win at Summerslam which I hope he does so that this feud can be over with. As for Edge's promo, it was another nice piece of writing. You played it up well with Edge having “no chances” as Jericho has had many opportunities to get back on top. Not only that but you did make the MITB Match more important when two big stars like Edge and Jericho are feuding over it.

One of the many gems of this thread is the tag team division. You've got some great teams and some great storylines going on amongst them. I like that you gave the Bashams a chance here, or well it looks like they got a chance now that they've gotten a win. This is what I miss, good tag team divisions, hopefully you continue to do good with this division because it's one of the bright spots on RAW as well as on Smackdown. And I like that you gave PTP and the Dudleyz some time on RAW since they didn't have a match, their exchange was quite good as well. Bischoff's promo there in his office with HBK was basically just a summary of what went down in the opening segment. I really wonder what HBK does here. Likin' that you kept him silent throughout the entire time that Bischoff was talking to him.

Ahh, another interesting development here again. I really think that you're gonna turn Haas heel at Summerslam and have him feud with Benjamin, which I don't mind, I actually want to see that. But there's still a lot of ways that you can go with this, but the heel turn would be the obvious one to go with. And damn, the women's division is heating up as well. Gotta agree with TWG that that attack from Victoria was cringe-worthy.

Wow, definitely segment of the night for me here. I'm a big fan of Christian so I'm glad that you're giving him this kind of storyline. The exchange between the two was brilliant, it seems that the payoff for this feud will be coming come Summerslam since I believe Christian will be getting the win here. I gotta say though, you do well in capturing emotion in some promos like in your Batista promos and your Flair promos. Those simple capitalizations can really bring a reader into the story you're trying to tell, and you do really well in that, good job.

This Edge/Jericho feud has been really great, and I gotta agree with TWG that this may steal the show at Summerslam. Oh but before that, that was a nice run-down of the matches taking place at Summerslam, really good. Now back to the Edge/Jericho feud, I think that with this win, you've made Hassan a star after getting the rub from Jericho which is great. So basically it was a “two birds with one stone” kind of a thing, awesome!

:lmao at Bischoff almost having a heart attack from Kennedy. Well anyway, this is big for Kennedy actually. I fully expect Batista to retain then maybe he'll have Kennedy to worry about, he'll be Bischoff's protege so to speak. I really wouldn't mind this as you can push Kennedy the right way now. He could've been a big star in the WWE but it was not to be, so hopefully you do a better job. I may even like this better than Batista/Christian so we'll see what you do.

And what an ending to the go home show for RAW. I didn't expect that it would get physical but this was nicely done. You covered everything but we just didn't get a speculation as to who HBK thought it was that attacked him, so I was hoping we'd see that. But as soon as things got physical, I was sure that HBK would get the last laugh whether it was a SCM you Kane again or Batista, and in this case, it was Batista this time.

Overall, loved the show CP. Everything on your card is great, even the undercard. Really liking your tag team division but you also put some emphasis on the show with your women's division, you're doing a great job in balancing the show out. What really got me excited was that Kennedy segment, a Kennedy/Batista feud will be the only feud I'd like more than a Christian/Batista feud, we'll see where you go with it. Now for Smackdown, let's get to it! :D
 
#170 ·
Breaking News!

Here at wwe.com we received word this afternoon that the Women’s Championship match at Summerslam has been CANCELLED. News comes following the devastating attack by champion Victoria on her challenger Lita this past Monday on Raw.

After having a door brutally smashed into her ankle, Lita has apparently got off lightly compared to fellow diva Trish Stratus who suffered a broken ankle back at Vengeance when facing the ruthless Women’s Champion. Apparently the damage to Lita’s ankle is only a sprain but it is enough to see her sidelined for this Sunday and most likely another several weeks.

We wish Lita a very speedy recovery and it is expected that Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff will address Victoria this coming Monday night on Raw
.


WWE Friday Night Smackdown Preview- 19/8/05- Rochester, New York

Friday Night Smackdown comes to you just TWO nights away from the biggest party of the summer, Summerslam and the heat is certainly on!!

Last week saw tensions rise all the more between WWE Champion John Cena and the man he meets Sunday night, Kurt Angle. Angle’s mind games have been constant, having goaded Cena into facing him, the Wrestling Machine has since done everything in his power to AVOID the champion. Will Angle be able to repeat that tonight or will champion and challenger finally square off just two nights before their hotly anticipated clash at Summerslam?

What we do know is that both men WILL be in action! Cena will go one on one with the man he won the WWE Championship from back at Wrestlemania, his former long time rival, JBL. Angle on the other hand will meet a man who is a current champion, the United States Champion, Matt Hardy. Both Hardy and JBL will be looking for huge wins heading into their respective challenges come Summerslam but it’ll be Cena and Angle who are under pressure to deliver here in New York.

Speaking of things getting heated, it has been that way ever since Wrestlemania between Randy Orton and The Undertaker. This Sunday the pair will square off one more time with Orton vowing to end The Undertaker once and for all. Orton has promised not to fall for the Deadman’s mind games, that this time he will be the one in control. Tonight Orton will be in action and will be looking to once again send a message to The Undertaker but will the Phenom have a message of his own for the Legend Killer?

Rob Van Dam shocked everybody last week when he walked out on his partner Rey Mysterio, citing that his head was not in the right place to compete as he looks to continue his pursuit of MNM. Well following that match last week Van Dam finally DID uncover something after overhearing a conversation from the A-Listers. RVD overheard Melina discussing with her boys that they paid off somebody to do their dirty work back at the Bash. Van Dam will be in New York and will no doubt be looking to uncover more evidence surrounding just who attacked them back at the Bash. One question remains, how will Rey Mysterio act to his partners actions?

Also scheduled for tonight is a big tag team contest as the new power duo of the Cruiserweight division Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero team up to take on the man who they have screwed ever since the Bash, Paul London and his new ally, Brian Kendrick. London will be seeking to get one over on his two rivals and with Kendrick now alongside him, the odds may finally be evened in this ongoing rivalry.

Finally, kicking off Friday Night Smackdown will be a MAMMOTH battle between two bitter rivals. Booker T and Rhyno have been feuding ever since the Man Beast was drafted to the blue brand in the draft lottery. Tonight, it’s the blow off match as Booker and Rhyno square off in a Two out of Three Falls Match!! Who will come out on top in this personal battle with their hand raised in victory?

Find out all this and much, much more to look forward to as we hit the final stop on the road to Summerslam!


Confirmed for tonight’s show:

John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Kurt Angle vs. Matt Hardy

Paul London and Brian Kendrick vs. Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero

Two out of Three Falls Match:

Booker T vs. Rhyno

Plus;

Rob Van Dam will continue his investigation and Randy Orton will be in action
!​


Expect this up sometime next week. Thanks to Jam and TWG for the Raw feedback, any more would be greatly appreciated. Last stop and then Summerslam!
 
#171 ·

WWE Friday Night Smackdown- 19/8/05- Rochester, New York​

The show begins with its usual opening video and the pyro then hits as we get shown a shot of this packed out arena who are on their feet ready for the final Smackdown before Summerslam!

Michael Cole: We welcome you ladies and gentleman to Friday Night Smackdown! I’m Michael Cole joined as ever at ringside by Tazz and we are just FORTY EIGHT hours away from the biggest party of the summer, Summerslam!

Tazz: Cole I am absolutely PUMPED!! The last stop on the road to Summerslam and what a line up we got here tonight. The Champ’s in action baby! John Cena one on one tonight wit’ the man he BEAT to win that WWE Championship, JBL!! Cena and Bradshaw here tonight!!

Michael Cole: A major showdown right there and that’s not all. Here tonight we will see John Cena’s challenger come Sunday in action also as Kurt Angle will go face to face with the United States Champion, Matt Hardy!!

Tazz: Two men on a roll right now in Angle and Hardy, big time match right there Cole, I can’t wait. I can…not…wait.

‘Can you Dig it? Sucka’​

It’s a big pop that greets the music of the former 5 time WCW Champion as Booker T storms out, set to kick off proceedings.

Michael Cole: But folks we are kicking things off with a HUGE grudge match here tonight in New York!! Booker T has been embroiled in a bitter rivalry with his former friend Rhyno but right here tonight, these two men are gonna settle it. There will be no questions unanswered as we go two out of three falls!!

Tazz: This night’s just gonna be blockbuster Cole and what a way to start. Booker and Rhyno have been at each other’s throats and tonight they’re finally gonna settle this thing. It’s gonna get real ugly here tonight, I’m telling ya. Booker and Rhyno, these two men wanna beat the holy hell outta each other. Tonight? They get to do it.

‘Man Beast’​

Booker’s face tells the story as he immediately braces himself, watching his bitter rival Rhyno walk down the ramp, a stern look on the Man Beast’s face as he and Booker lock eyes.

Michael Cole: Since coming to Smackdown Rhyno has made a huge impact, setting his sights on Carlito, setting his sights on helping Booker T deal with Carlito, only to turn on his former friend in a sickening way. Tonight it really is Rhyno’s chance to finally do what he’s been aiming to achieve, get out of the shadows of his former friends, break out from the pack and stand out on his own. Victory tonight would no doubt go a long, long way towards doing that Tazz.

Tazz: No doubt about it Cole. Rhyno’s been as aggressive, as intense, as focused as I’ve ever seen and it’s all because he’s sick and tired of sittin’ in the background. Tonight I’m bettin’ that he’s gonna lay it all on the line, give it everything he’s got to put Booker down and to move up the food chain on Friday nights. Rhyno ain’t in it for friendship anymore Cole, he’s in it for himself.

Match One: Two out of Three Falls

Booker T vs. Rhyno

The tension is evident between the pair here as they eye each other up and down, the bell has rung and there’s a loud ‘BOO-KER-T’ chant reverberating round the arena as the former WCW Champion looks pumped up, the former ECW Champion likewise as these two bitter rivals finally start to make a move, beginning to circle the ring before they lock up dead centre and it’s Rhyno’s strength that sees him force Booker on the backfoot.

Rhyno’s aggression sees him club Booker into the corner and the Man Beast’s grip is broken and he now goes to work with some strong right hands, taking it to the Book man but Booker isn’t backing down! Booker responds with rights of his own and it’s a frenetic pace in the early goings as both men try and tear into one another, clubbing right hands to their opponent as the referee looks to be losing control.

The two men continue brawling, taking turns to one up the other as Booker has a spell on top, taking Rhyno down with a beautiful spinning crescent kick that almost takes the Man Beast’s head off!! The Book man scores a two count off that move before Rhyno edges his way back into the contest, using his strength to take Booker down with a tasty looking flapjack following Booker running the ropes, Rhyno also going for a cover but like Booker scoring a two count.

Rhyno pounds the mat in anger before ramping up the aggression once again, going back to his hard hitting on Booker before he drags his former friend to his feet and whips Booker into the ropes, Booker rebounds and Rhyno swings, misses! Booker manages to halt his momentum, Rhyno spins round, boot to the gut from Booker, SCISSORS KICK!! NO!! RHYNO AVOIDS IT!! Booker’s spun back round, and there’s an Irish whip again, Booker rebounds and he’s dropped with a spinning spine buster!! Booker is smashed down to the mat, cover again from Rhyno, kick out at two from Booker!!

The crowd breathe a sigh of relief as Booker hangs on in but Rhyno cuts a frustrated figure and he looks as though he wants to finish this first fall off now as he storms off into the corner, pacing as he awaits Booker’s return to his feet, the Man Beast is urging him up again, a Gore incoming. Booker struggles to his feet, now knowing where he is, he spins round, GORE!! NO!! BOOKER DOES SEE IT COMING AND TOSSES RHYNO THROUGH THE ROPES TO THE OUTSIDE!! Rhyno goes tumbling to a huge pop from the fans as Booker shows his wits there.

Booker slowly follows Rhyno to the outside, hopping down off the apron, the crowd right behind Booker here…BUT WHAM!! WHAT THE HELL?!!? FROM OUT OF NOWHERE RHYNO WITH A STEEL CHAIR DRILLED INTO THE GUT OF BOOKER T!! The referee immediately calls the bell!! Rhyno has tossed away the first fall!!


Winner of the first fall via Disqualification: Booker T(6:04)

There’s a state of confusion here as Rhyno has cost himself before he SMASHES BOOKER ACROSS THE SKULL WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!! RHYNO HAS LOST IT HERE!! The Man Beast continues smashing Booker with the chair across the back, Booker completely fallen here and the heat is ungodly. The referee orders Rhyno off and eventually he does so, a smirk coming over his face as he immediately grabs Booker up to his feet, tossing him back inside the ring and the second fall is about to begin here.

Rhyno demands that the bell be rang for this second fall to start and it finally is as Rhyno heads back inside the ring, eyeing Booker up and down, grinning ear to ear as he slowly makes his way across, turning Booker over onto his back and covering, 1...2...3...he got him and we are now tied. Rhyno’s plan now making perfect sense it would seem, having weakened Booker T in a HUGE way here with that steel chair.


Winner of the second fall: Rhyno(6:22)

There’s real doom and gloom kind of atmosphere in the arena now as they sense that Booker’s chances have all but gone now with Rhyno’s attack. The score now tied at one a piece, it’s do or die this fall and Rhyno is in control from the off as he almost toys with Booker, simply stalking him, slowly wandering round the ring, occasionally stomping across the back of Booker’s neck, the crowd continuing to boo the War Machine.

Rhyno continues picking Booker apart, delivering several no nonsense leg drops right across the back of Booker’s neck before beginning to pound away with more vicious stomps right the way down the back of Booker, the crowd trying to spur the former WCW Champion on but it’s to no avail as Rhyno continues to be in pole position.

The Man Beast then decides to try and amp things up a bit, bringing Booker to his feet, delivering several stinging right hands before an Irish whip as Booker smashes into the corner. Rhyno takes a running start before charging at his bitter enemy, BANG!! NO!! BOOKER GETS A BOOT UP AND KICKS RHYNO IN THE FACE!! The crowd pops huge as Booker shows some fight here, he hasn’t given it up just yet as Rhyno stumbles out of the corner. Booker slowly makes his way out of the corner also, desperate to get the upper hand now and he catches Rhyno with a right hand, followed by another, the tide turning perhaps as Booker starts to find some speed again, he has Rhyno up against the ropes, Irish whip, Rhyno rebounds and Booker goes for a super kick, Rhyno ducks it, runs the ropes again, FLYING CLOTHESLINE FROM THE MAN BEAST!! Booker’s momentum is short lived as Rhyno comes steaming in to take the Book man down.

Rhyno claws his way up to his knees, he’s a little bit worse for wear here now also but he’s still in control as gets to his feet, Booker T to his knees but he’s met with a knee to the gut from the Man Beast, perhaps winding the Master of the Spin-a-rooni. Rhyno continues with another several knees before he drags Booker to his feet, looks him in the eyes, a look of sheer disgust on the face of the War Machine before another devastating knee and Rhyno scoops Booker up high onto his shoulders, RUNNING POWERSLAM!! NO!! BOOKER SLIDES DOWN THE BACK, ROLL UP!! 1...2...3...NO!! RHYNO JUST SURVIVES, BOOKER ALMOST STEALING IT THERE!!

Both men are back to their feet in a hurry and Rhyno swings but Booker ducks it, Rhyno spins back round and he’s met with an arm around the throat!! BOOK END!! NO!! RHYNO SPINS OUT THE BACK OF IT!! The fans are on edge now as Rhyno spins Booker around, kick to the gut, he scoops Booker up, suplex!! NO!! BOOKER FIGHTS IT!! Elbows to the back of Rhyno’s head and he breaks free, Irish whip, Rhyno rebounds, boot to the gut from Booker, SCISSORS KICK!! CONNECTS!! Booker drops in a heap, clawing his way on top of Rhyno, 1...2...3...HE GOT HIM!! BOOKER TAKES IT!!


Winner of the third fall and the match: Booker T(11:27)

Michael Cole: Booker T prevails!! Finally Booker gets one over on Rhyno!! Finally Booker T puts Rhyno in his place!!

Tazz: What a match Cole and what a victory for the Book man.

Michael Cole: Indeed, despite that damn chair shot, that ambush with the steel chair from Rhyno, Booker T somehow comes away with victory here tonight. And Tazz you can tell just how much that means to Booker T, a hard fought, drawn out rivalry with his former friend and tonight, surely it’s all over between these two bitter enemies.

Tazz: It’s gotta be Cole. They both threw everything they had at one another right here tonight and I don’t think there’s anything left to give. Booker got the job done, hats off to him.

Booker somehow has the energy to deliver a Spin-a-Rooni for the crowd!! The fans eat it up as Booker celebrates in style at finally getting one over on his recent rival, the feud between these two men now surely over and done with.

Commercials​

We return and immediately go backstage where we join the ever enthusiastic Mr.Josh Matthews.

Josh Matthews: Welcome back to Friday Night Smackdown and at this time would you please welcome my guest, the Legend Killer, Randy Orton.

Orton appears into shot, a smirk on his face, he’s dressed to compete and the fans in attendance give him a less than popular welcome.

Josh Matthews: Randy last week you narrowly escaped from The Undertaker, using a blatant thumb to the eye to avoid coming face to face with the man you meet this Sunday at Summerslam. Since then many people have claimed that you are indeed running scared of The Un…

Randy Orton: Woah, woah, hold on just a second there Josh. Scared? Scared…of The Undertaker? No, no. See I thought I’d made this perfectly clear. Clear for you, clear for The Undertaker, clear for EVERYBODY!

Orton is very adamant in his approach here.

Randy Orton: I made it crystal clear that nothing he does can or will scare me because I’m past all of that Josh. I’ve made it clear that I am the one playing games now, that it’s my turn to make The Undertaker watch his back, to make him fear just what might be round the corner. That it is MY turn to get inside his head.

Heat here for TLK as usual, he’s all fired up tonight.

Randy Orton: So last week, yeah, I did deliver a thumb to the eye and yeah, I DID run through the crowd but it was not me running away, it was not me running in fear. No, it was me running all the way into the fore front of his mind once AGAIN.

Orton now begins to smirk arrogantly again, realising he got the better of the Deadman once again last week.

Randy Orton: Because I need him to know that come Summerslam, we are done. At Summerslam, I’m not gonna let him take me lightly, I’m not gonna let him walk all over me. No, no, I want him to turn up Sunday night and I want him to try and beat me like he’s never beaten anyone before. I want The Undertaker at his very, very best. Why? Why, you might ask, well it’s real simple, I want him at his best because it is gonna make it ALL the more sweeter when I beat him, but y’know something? I promise you that not only will I beat him at Summerslam... I will end him.

Huge heat for this statement as Orton seems convinced of the outcome Sunday night.

Randy Orton: Tonight? Tonight’s the final chance for Undertaker to try, just try and get all his little mind games in, try and get inside my head before Sunday but guess what Deadman?

Orton now looks directly at the camera.

Randy Orton: I’m ready for it, I’m ready for anything you throw at me Undertaker. I know every trick in the book and whatever it is you try here tonight, I guarantee, it will…not…work. Tonight is MY night, this Sunday…is MY night. The WWE? Undertaker, the WWE... is now MY yard.

Orton starts chuckling to himself before looking back at Matthews.

Randy Orton: And this Sunday I will prove it once…and for all.

Orton then heads off, the smirk removed and a stern look etched upon his face as he gets set for action later on this evening.

We then head off elsewhere backstage where we see John Bradshaw Layfield in his locker room and Layfield is preparing for his match later on this evening, lacing his boots before his door goes and he spins round, a look of fear on his face but it soon changes to one of confusion as we see Kurt Angle appear!!


John Bradshaw Layfield: The hell do you want?

Bradshaw scowls at the Wrestling Machine who looks quite cool and calm here.

Kurt Angle: Relax, relax, I’m not here to start anything. I just came by to wish you good luck tonight that’s all.

JBL scoffs at Angle’s claim.

John Bradshaw Layfield: Kurt, do I look like I’m stupid? Really, do I? I’m not fallin’ for your crap. It wasn’t all that long ago that me and you were beatin’ the hell outta each other and now you wanna wish me luck? Please.

Angle holds his hands up.

Kurt Angle: Alright, alright, you got me John, you got me. The real reason I’m here is because tonight you go one on one…with John Cena.

Big pop for the champion’s name as Angle’s intensity picks up, JBL nodding.

Kurt Angle: Now I don’t need to come in here and give you a pep talk. After all, he’s the one that beat you for the WWE Champio…

John Bradshaw Layfield: LOOK WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GETTING AT KURT!?

Bradshaw doesn’t react too kindly to that as Angle takes a moment to respond.

Kurt Angle: Look I’ve got Cena this Sunday at Summerslam and you know just as much as I do that him being champion, it’s-it’s not gonna get either of us anywhere is it? As long as he’s the champion, you’re not getting a shot at that title and hey, a guy like you? A guy like you should always, always be in line for a shot at the WWE title, right?

Angle’s ass kissing seems to be working as JBL starts to nod, a wry smile coming across his face now.

Kurt Angle: Now I know I can beat John Cena. That is a FACT but hey, I wouldn’t mind uh…I wouldn’t mind you makin’ my life a whole lot easier come Sunday night if you get my drift John?

Angle now stars smiling, JBL looking him right back in the eye, a smirk still on his face also.

John Bradshaw Layfield: Oh Kurt I know exactly where you’re comin’ from and believe me, John Cena ain’t gonna make it to Washington Sunday night in one piece.

Heat for the grinning Wall Street Warrior, Angle joining him in having a chuckle but JBL’s expression then changes to one of anger.

John Bradshaw Layfield: But you better believe, I ain’t doin’ it for you. I’m doin’ it for my own benefit, I’m doin’ it for payback after what that punk’s put me through since Wrestlemania. Since I lost to him, it’s all been downhill, but tonight?

That grin returns to the former champion’s face now.

John Bradshaw Layfield: Tonight I put an end to all that, the Wrestling Gawwwwwwwwwwwwwwd will walk outta this arena tonight victorious, just like he ALWAYS used to do and then this Sunday? This Sunday I will beat that FREAK Bobby Lashley and I will once again, ha ha…I will once again…be headed for the WWE Championship.

Angle nods in approvement it seems as Bradshaw is fired up here.

Kurt Angle: Hey, I don’t care who you do it for as long as you get the job done out there tonight. Good luck and I might, I might…just see you out there.

Angle has a little chuckle to himself as JBL looks on at Angle departing before continuing where he left off in lacing his boots for his main event showdown later on tonight and we head back ringside.

Michael Cole: Well strong words from JBL here tonight and Tazz I gotta ask you, what happened to Kurt Angle wanting a one on one match, wanting to face John Cena man to man, may the best man win? Now he wants JBL to ’soften’ him up tonight?

Tazz: Wouldn’t you Cole? Kurt’s just doin’ what he’s gotta do. If he can weaken John Cena in any way, shape or form, he’s gonna do it and I’m bettin’ John Cena would do the exact same thing. Cena ain’t the only one in action tonight Cole, Angle’s got Matt Hardy too and believe me, that ain’t no walk in the park.

‘Stay in Shadow’​

It’s a big pop that greets the music of Paul London who bursts out onto the stage full of energy and he’s not alone as Brian Kendrick joins him also, we’re all set for some tag team action.

Michael Cole: Big opportunity here tonight for Paul London to get one over on two men who have screwed him time and time again Tazz. London has had absolutely no luck in dealing with Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero but with Brian Kendrick by his side tonight, he’s gotta be confident that he can turn the tables.

Tazz: Well I’m sure he’s got a heck of a lot more chance having Kendrick alongside him tonight BUT Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero, they ain’t gonna be easy to knock off, no matter who your partner is.

‘Listen, it’s Time’​

And there’s big time heat that greets the arrival of the Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms who steps out, arms outstretched soaking in the heat as his partner in crime Chavo Guerrero joins him in taking all this heat in.

Michael Cole: As you said Tazz, it is gonna take a hell of an effort to get one over on Chavo and Helms here tonight. Ever since they aligned back at the Bash, these two men have proved almost unstoppable, getting the job done time and time again. However their methods are no doubt questionable.

Tazz: Hey, their methods are workin’ Cole and that’s all that counts. It don’t matter how they do it but you said it yourself, they’re getting the job done. Chavo knows Helms is one of the best Cruiserweights in the world, Helms knows the same about Chavo. You put ‘em together? You got a partnership that could dominate the Cruiserweight division.

Match Two: Tag Team Match

Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero vs. Paul London and Brian Kendrick

Helms starts things off for his team but he refuses to do so unless it’s against Brian Kendrick. The Cruiserweight Champion points at London saying ‘Not you’ and London backs down saying ‘I can wait’ as Kendrick starts things off for his side.

Kendrick starts things off like a house on fire, taking Helms by surprise with an array of right hands, very fast paced action from the high flier and Helms can’t handle it. Kendrick’s momentum sees him floor Helms with a beautiful hurricanrana off of an Irish whip and the crowd are right behind him here as he goes for a cover, 1...2...kick out at two from Helms who is quick to his feet, a surprised look on his face as Kendrick’s right back on him with those quick right hands.

Helms is really on the back foot here as Kendrick drops the Cruiserweight champ once again, this time a dropkick taking him down and out, cover once again from Kendrick, 1...2...kick out once more from Helms as Paul London applauds his partner’s work thus far. Kendrick quickly brings Helms to his feet, nailing a forearm before an Irish whip, Helms rebounds, clothesline from Kendrick but Helms ducks it and runs the ropes again before taking Kendrick down with a shoulder block, momentum shifting perhaps.

Helms now assumes control as he looks to keep Kendrick grounded, immediately going to work with some vicious stomps right across the head of the man formerly known as Spanky. Helms then taunts London, motioning for his title belt saying ‘I’m the man’, Chavo Guerrero applauding his partner’s work as Helms then drops to his knees and applies a sleeper hold, looking to wear Kendrick down all the more. The crowd are booing the former superhero as he applies firm pressure in the hold, Kendrick having no room to manoeuvre.

The crowd rally round Kendrick but Helms just locks it in tighter as the referee begins to assess BK here. He raises Kendrick’s arm up for the first time….and it drops!! Helms screams ‘C’mon’ as Kendrick’s eyes are glazed over, the referee lifting his hand up a second time…and it drops again!! Kendrick’s in trouble now as the referee goes for a third time raising his hand…and…HE FIGHTS IT!! Kendrick refuses to give in and he stands firm, Helms tries to keep the hold in but Kendrick digs in with some elbows, showing the fight inside him here, elbows digging in and he breaks free at last!! Kendrick battles out an both men are now delicately poised as they meet in the middle, Helms throws a right but Kendrick blocks it!! Kendrick now connecting with right hands but Helms responds with a right of his own, fist fight ensuing!!

Irish whip now from Kendrick, Helms comes back off the ropes and he goes for a clothesline but Kendrick drops him with a back body drop!! Kendrick then looks over to the corner…and he sees Paul London awaiting him!! Kendrick storms over and HE MAKES THE TAG!! London storms in, his rival in his sights and London scoops Helms to his feet, stiff rights incoming from London here as he forces Helms into the ropes, Irish whip now and Helms hangs onto the ropes…AND HE TAGS IN CHAVO!! Helms wanting nothing to do with Paul London here!!

Chavo storms in and meets London in the middle and he has absolutely no answer for London’s high speed offense with his arch rival outmanoeuvring him at every turn, ducking and diving Chavo’s advances before going to work with a string of right hands. Irish whip now from London and Chavo rebounds but London drops him with a TILTAWHIRL BACKBREAKER!! Hugely impressive from London. Into the cover, 1...2...HELMS BREAKS THE COUNT!! Helms breaks it BEFORE HE HIGHTAILS IT AS BRIAN KENDRICK CHARGES AT HIM!!

Helms exit’s the ring and…he backs up the ramp!! Helms is leaving Chavo high and dry here as he wants nothing to do with London or Kendrick tonight. London and Chavo meanwhile begin to stir and it’s London who looks to rise first, Chavo not far behind and Chavo swings a right but London blocks it, right hand of his own, Irish whip again, this time into the corner and Chavo smashes into the turnbuckle. London comes charging but Chavo gets a boot up, the former champion goes stumbling out of the corner and Chavo comes flying, clothesline, NO! London ducks it and drops him with a reverse DDT as he now heads up high!

Helms is watching on, shaking his head as London is poised, London steadies himself and now points at the Cruiserweight Champ before soaring through the air and CONNECTING WITH THE 450 SPLASH!! Cover by London, 1...2...3...HE WINS IT!!


Winners: Paul London and Brian Kendrick(7:31)

Michael Cole: London wins it!! A HUGE win for Paul London here tonight!! Helms and Chavo brought down a notch here tonight at the hands of the impressive Paul London and Brian Kendrick!!

Tazz: Major victory for Paul London right there and hey, it might not have been Helms who he beat but there ain’t no doubt Paul London is right inside the head of the Cruiserweight Champ after that, props to Paul London tonight.

Helms is backing up the ramp, looking on at a celebrating London and Kendrick before yelling ‘You didn’t beat me punk, you didn’t beat me’ as he clutches onto his Cruiserweight title. London motioning that the title belt will once again soon be his.

Commercials​

We return and we head backstage where we see Rob Van Dam!! Van Dam is greeted with cheers from the crowd as he sits on the edge of a table in the hall. He is on his phone, seemingly texting before he turns his head and we see Rey Mysterio enter the shot, the Ultimate Underdog also greeted with a strong ovation but Rey doesn’t look too pleased as he bumps into his partner.

Rob Van Dam: Look Rey I don..

Rey Mysterio: Hey, hey I don’t wanna hear it man. I know your head’s not in it right now, I know you’re too focused on MNM, too busy dealin’ with what went down at the Bash but Rob you got NO right walkin’ out on me like you did last week.

Mysterio is pretty intense here, a far cry from his usual self.

Rob Van Dam: Rey, dude, I’m sorry. What I did last week? That wasn’t me man. But hey, I’m gonna make it up to you because I’m just one step away from getting us another shot at those titles.

Mysterio doesn’t look like he’s buying it.

Rey Mysterio: How? The investigation’s over Rob, Teddy Long said it himself.

Rob Van Dam: The investigation is far from over Rey. Just because Teddy Long failed to do his job right, doesn’t mean it’s over. I followed MNM last week and I heard them talking alright dude, I heard it straight from their mouths. They paid someone off to cost us at the Bash.

Mysterio’s interest raises considerably now.

Rob Van Dam: So yeah, maybe it wasn’t Melina who was under that mask but it was her doing, it was her dirty work Rey and that puts us right back in the hunt for those titles, that gives us the rematch we deserve and Teddy Long, he can’t stop it from happening.

Rey Mysterio: You’re seriously telling’ me they paid someone off to cost us at the Bash? And you-you don’t, you don’t wanna know who it was? You don’t wanna know who did this to us?

Van Dam huffs a bit.

Rob Van Dam: Of course I do dude, but they can wait. All that matters to me right now is getting us another shot, a shot we deserve at the Tag Team titles and about finally teaching MNM some respect.

Mysterio is confused.

Rey Mysterio: But how can you prove it man? I mean, just because you heard it doesn’t mean Teddy Long did, it doesn’t mean MNM are gonna come out and admit it.

Rob Van Dam: Prove it? You want me to prove it? Rey, I heard it clear as day come outta their mouths, what more proof do you need? What, wait, hold on just a second, do you- do you think I’m making this up huh?

Van Dam gets in Rey’s face now.

Rey Mysterio: No, no, I’m not saying that. What I am saying…is Teddy Long might see it that way.

Van Dam looks up to the heavens, clearly frustrated.

Rob Van Dam: So what do you suggest huh? You just want me to forget about it? You just want me to let MNM move on? You want me and you to just…move on.

Mysterio is getting a little irritated now along with RVD.

Rey Mysterio: I’m not…(huffs), I’m not saying that man. I think we should just take this slow, I think we should try and get a little bit more outta MNM before we go chasing Teddy Long. I say we try and find out just who they paid off.

Van Dam nods, a thoughtful look on his face.

Rob Van Dam: Maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Come on, let’s get outta here, I got a plan.

Van Dam and Rey then depart, the investigation still very much in place here and we head back ringside.

‘Oh Yeahhhhhhhh’

‘Live for the Moment’​

It’s a BIG pop that greets the return to the action as Matt Hardy makes his way out, United States title belt in hand as he looks in a buoyant mood heading into his clash tonight.

Michael Cole: Well things certainly getting heated in Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio’s pursuit of a rematch with MNM and Tazz things got heated last week between this man, Matt Hardy and the man he meets Sunday night at Summerslam, Carlito.

Tazz: Absolutely Cole. Things got pretty damn personal between Hardy and Carlito last week with both men bringin’ each other’s family into all this and I gotta feelin’ that come Sunday at Summerslam, those two are gonna tear the house down for that United States Championship.

‘Medal’​

And there’s instant heat as the ever intense number one contender, Kurt Angle steps out, Matt Hardy in his sights tonight before John Cena this Sunday.

Michael Cole: Speaking of tearing the house down. This Sunday at Summerslam, at long last Kurt Angle gets what he wants, a one on one shot at the WWE Championship against John Cena and in my eyes, this one will steal the show in Washington Sunday night.

Tazz: Oh there’s no doubting that Angle and Cena are gonna throw everything they got at one another Sunday night but the question I got is, have Angle’s mind games worked? Has Angle got inside Cena’s head? This Sunday night we’ll find out but I gotta feelin’ we ain’t seen the last of Kurt’s games before Summerslam.

Michael Cole: Well we saw earlier on Angle and JBL talking backstage ahead of JBL’s match later on tonight with the WWE Champion and there appeared to be more to it than just a little ‘pep talk’.

Tazz: Absolutely. I think John Cena knows what to expect though later on tonight. It’s just a question, can he deal with it?

Match Three: Singles Match

Kurt Angle vs. Matt Hardy

There’s a real air of importance for both men here as they know that victory tonight would propel them forward into their respective clashes come Sunday. It’s Hardy who starts off strongest as he outdoes Angle in a battle of waistlocks, reversing Angle’s into one of his own before shoving the Wrestling Machine into the ropes, Angle rebounding and Hardy taking him down with a nice shoulder block!

Hardy then begins to control Angle, hoisting him up and deliver some stinging right hands before an Irish Whip into the corner, Angle’s back crashing into the turnbuckle and Hardy comes storming in, connecting with a big time clothesline!! The crowd pop for the U.S Champ here as he’s taking it to Angle, the onslaught continuing as Hardy goes to town with some big rights. Hardy goes for one more, riling up the crowd before doing so but Angle blocks it!! Angle prevents Hardy and now he turns the tables, slamming Hardy into the corner, Angle going at it with fast, venomous right hands, Hardy having no answer here.

Angle’s intensity is as high as ever as he rattles Hardy off with right hands before letting a roar out to the crowd, Hardy stumbling out of the corner right into Angle’s path, boot to the mid section before a strong uppercut by Angle! Irish whip now from the Wrestling Machine and Hardy flies back at him, Angle meets him, BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX!! Beautiful from Angle who crawls into a cover, 1...2...kick out at two and a half from Hardy!!

Angle comes within a whisker of taking it there but Hardy holds on, however the momentum has shifted to the man who goes for the WWE Title this Sunday. Angle works over Hardy’s fallen body, an array of stomps, head to toe on his opponent as Hardy is crumpled on the mat before the Olympic Gold Medalist drops some stern elbows right across the chest of Hardy who gasps for air now.

Angle now scoops Hardy to his feet, perhaps looking to try and put away the plucky U.S. Champion as he whips Hardy into the turnbuckle, Angle follows suit and rams his shoulder into Hardy’s mid section, several shoulders to the gut follow and Hardy appears to be in all kinds of trouble here. Angle now hoists Hardy up onto the top rope!! The crowd rise to their feet as Angle has dangerous intentions in mind here. Angle now begins to climb, the anticipation builds as he goes for a BIG time superplex but Hardy fights it!! Elbows to the back of Angle’s head and the grip begins to loosen here. Repeated elbows from Hardy who knows he’s in a whole world of trouble now and he finally breaks out of it before shoving Angle down to the mat, the Wrestling Machine taking a hefty fall there!!

Hardy steadies himself, the crowd urging him on as Angle lay motionless, a roar to the crowd from Hardy, FLYING LEG DROP!! CONNECTS!! Hardy scrambles into the cover, 1...2...3...HE GOT HIM!! NO!! ANGLE KICKS OUT AT THE DEATH!! The crowd thought Hardy had it there and so did the United States Champion as he has his hands on his head, frustrated that he couldn’t get the job done there.

Hardy picks himself up again, dusts himself off and steadies himself, he lets out another roar of adrenaline to the crowd who are right behind him here, they know what’s on Hardy’s mind. Hardy’s set, Angle’s to his feet now, he turns around, boot to the mid section, TWIST OF FATE!! NO!! ANGLE SHOVES HARDY AWAY!! Hardy flies into the ropes, he rebounds, right into Angle’s path, ANGLE SLAM!! ANGLE SLAM CONNECTS!! Cover, 1...2...3...HE GOT HIM!!


Winner: Kurt Angle(7:06)

Michael Cole: Kurt Angle comes out on top tonight but you’ve gotta hand it to Matt Hardy! It looked like he could cause the upset but Kurt Angle taking advantage and that’s just how quickly Kurt Angle can turn the tables, that’s just how quickly Kurt Angle could become WWE Champion this Sunday.

Tazz: Ain’t no doubt about it Cole. Heck of a performance from Matt Hardy, he pushed Angle all the way but the experience that Kurt Angle’s got proved just a bit too much for Matt Hardy tonight. Angle can strike at any second, just like that and it wouldn’t surprise me one damn bit if he does the same Sunday night.

Angle is looking focused as he backs up the ramp, the fans booing the Wrestling Machine who is pumping himself up before we get a shot of Matt Hardy getting to his feet in the middle of the ring, the crowd cheering for the United States Champion …BAM!!! CARLITO FROM BEHIND SMASHES HARDY ACROSS THE BACK!! THE APPLE SPITTER COMING FROM THE CROWD!!

Michael Cole: CARLITO FROM OUT OF NOWHERE!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ABOUT?!

Tazz: I think he’s sendin’ a message Cole. Matt Hardy got one over on him last week, tonight’s Carlito’s turn.

Carlito now goes to work on Hardy, hammering away with vicious kicks across Hardy’s back, the crowd booing the shit out of the Apple Spitter here as he’s relentless in his assault. Lito finally gives it up…or so it seems before he drags Hardy to his feet, he’s perched behind Hardy, looking round the crowd before he DROPS HARDY WITH A BACKSTABBER!!

Tazz: Message sent.

Michael Cole: An ambush from Carlito here tonight and you’ve gotta believe that this is more than just trying to send a message. This is Carlito trying to weaken Matt Hardy just two nights before they meet at Summerslam.

Tazz: Uh oh, Cole I don’t think he’s done neither.

Carlito is indeed not done as he gets in Matt’s face, takes a bite of his apple BEFORE SPITTING APPLE IN THE FACE OF THE UNITED STATES CHAMPION!! DISGUSTING MOVE FROM CARLITO!! The crowd pouring heat on the ‘Coolest’ superstar on Friday nights here.

Michael Cole: You have got to be kidding me? That is as low, that is as classless, that is as disrespectful as you can get from Carlito!!

Tazz: I-I gotta admit that’s a little too far from Carlito right there. He’d done his job, the message was sent but that was a step too far Cole. Carlito oughtta be ashamed wit’ that move.

Carlito is now grinning from ear to ear as he departs the ring, looking on at the damage done as Hardy lay motionless in the ring, apple across his face and the crowd continuing to boo the hell out of his opponent this Sunday at Summerslam.

Commercials​

We return and hear Michael Cole informing us that an interview took place during the commercial break with Josh Matthews catching up with Carlito.

Josh Matthews: Carlito!! Carlito, could you explain your actions here tonight in attacking Matt Hardy?

Carlito was grinning, however that grin changes soon after the question to more of a scowl.

Carlito: Josh, let Carlito explain a little something to ju. See last week was the debut of Carlito’s Cabana. Last week was a special week for Carlito and ju know who Carlito invited to be his guest on the show? Matt Hardy.

Carlito shakes his head.

Carlito: Carlito invited dat punk to be his guest and how did-how did he repay Carlito? He disrespected Carlito, he disrespected Carlito’s family and then he had the nerve to attack Carlito…on Carlito’s own show!!

Lito is pretty riled here.

Carlito: And ju…ju wanna question Carlito’s actions? Pffft, Carlito’s actions are COMPLETELY justified. Last week when he disrespected Carlito, he spat in Carlito’s face, he spat in Carlito’s family’s face. Tonight? Tonight all Carlito did…was spit right back in his.

Lito now begins smirking again.

Carlito: This Sunday Carlito’s gonna go one step further. This Sunday Matt Hardy’s gonna find out dat NOBODY disrespects Carlito, NOBODY disrespects Carlito’s family and gets away with it. Carlito WILL walk outta Washington this Sunday as the NEW United States Champion and Carlito WILL prove dat Matt Hardy is exactly what Carlito said he is, nothing more…than a failure.

Carlito laughs slyly to himself.

Carlito: And dat? Das cool.

Lito then heads off, the smirk certainly back on his face, a certain swagger about him as we then head back ringside where we see Hardcore Holly awaiting us, his music playing in the background.

Michael Cole: No matter how Carlito tries to justify his actions, you simply cannot comprehend what he’s done here tonight. Spitting in the face of Matt Hardy was just a step too far. But we’ve gotta move on and we are all set for action once again here tonight as Hardcore Holly awaits his opponent…

‘Hey’​

‘Burn in my Light’​

And right on cue, the Legend Killer, Randy Orton’s music hits and out steps the man who meets The Undertaker this Sunday to a chorus of boos.

Tazz: And I gotta feelin’ Cole that Bob Holly ain’t gonna like this opponent!!

Michael Cole: Well we heard earlier on tonight from this man, the Legend Killer and Tazz he seemed in a determined mood, a defiant mood as he looks to finally end The Undertaker this Sunday at Summerslam.

Tazz: I believe he’s gonna do it Cole, I believe that Randy Orton can achieve the impossible this Sunday night. The Undertaker, the Deadman, the Phenom, one of the biggest legends of all time but Cole, Randy Orton…is the Legend Killer.

Match Four: Singles Match

Randy Orton vs. Hardcore Holly

Orton dominates from the get go, putting some real aggression in his offense, some venomous right hands to the unfortunate Bob Holly here who is having absolute no joy in dealing with the Legend Killer.

Orton dissects Holly with some stern right hands before whipping Holly into the ropes, Holly rebounding and Orton catches him with a pinpoint dropkick, trademark Orton style as he eyes up the veteran with a look of fierce determination on his face here before going right back to work on his opponent, ammering away with a series of vicious stomps across the stomach as Holly cries out in pain.

Orton eventually drags Holly back to his knees, not taking his eyes off of him as he has a real sadistic streak tonight…BUT HOLLY SLAPS ORTON!! The crowd ooooohs as Orton holds his face, Holly showing some spirit before Orton SMASHES Holly with a kick to the face!! Tazz comments that Holly may have had some teeth knocked out there as Orton hammers a straight up kick to the face before dragging Holly over towards the ropes in what is now an exhibition for Orton as he positions Holly for a Hung Rope DDT!! CONNECTS!!

Holly is done for here as Orton eyes him up again before he poises himself, awaiting Holly’s return to his feet but it’s a slow one and in the end Orton simply drags Holly up himself, sick of waiting, spinning Holly round, RKO!! BAM!! Holly is out of it, 1...2...3...Orton wins in convincing fashion.


Winner: Randy Orton(3:20)

Orton celebrates his victory by mouthing off to the crowd who are booing the arrogant Legend Killer here before RKO goes round every side of the ring, pointing at the crowd, yelling ‘I will END him this Sunday, I…WILL…END…HIM’.

Michael Cole: Randy Orton in devastating form here tonight and it appears as though he is convinced about what he’s gonna achieve come Sunday. Randy Orton wants to finish The Undertaker, he wants to add The Undertaker to the list of legends he’s killed off.

Tazz: Randy Orton’s a little more than convinced Cole, he is adamant that he’s gonna finish off the Deadman Sunday night and I like that attitude. Orton doesn’t stand a chance if he goes in afraid, goes in scared of what the Phenom’s capable of. Orton goes in like this? He’s got every freakin’ chance.

Orton continues yelling at the crowd, telling them it’s ‘My time’ BEFORE THE LIGHTS GO OUT!!

Michael Cole: Oh boy, here we go!!

Orton doesn’t appear phased though as the purple kind of strobe lighting that comes with The Undertaker is in the ring, Orton clear to see as he shakes his head, not happy with the Deadman making his presence felt it would seem. We then hear the Phenom’s voice, yet no sign of the man himself.

The Undertaker: Randy Ortonnnnn. You claim that you are not afraid, that you are not scared…

Orton shakes his head, saying ‘I’m not’.

The Undertaker: But Randy, we are all afraid…of what we don’t know, of what we don’t understand and you…you do not know, you do not understand…the dead.

Nice pop for this as Orton laughs that claim off.

The Undertaker: At Summerslam, you may want to finish me but Randy, all that will be finished on Sunday is your legacy.

Orton mouths ‘What?’ confused by Taker’s claims.

The Undertaker: You claim that you are a ‘Legend Killer’ but Randy, you cannot kill…what’s already dead.

Big time pop for this.

The Undertaker: This Sunday I will take you to the depths of hell, you will realise once and for all just what you’re up against, just who you’re dealing with and Randy, at Summerslam, you will…REST…IN…PEACE!!

Another nice pop as the lights come back on, Orton stood still in the middle of this ring and he’s got a furious look on his face as he again mouths off at the crowd, yelling ‘I WILL FINISH HIM, HE DOESN’T SCARE ME!! HE DOESN…’

But the lights go out again!! The crowd are going wild as the lights come back on AND THE UNDERTAKER IS STANDING BEHIND ORTON!! ORTON TURNS AROUND AND HE ALMOST JUMPS OUT OF HIS SKIN BEFORE HIGHTAILING IT OUTTA THE RING!! Orton wanting nothing to do with the Deadman here!!


Michael Cole: So much for Randy Orton not being afraid!! So much for Randy Orton not fearing The Undertaker!! Orton running away from the Deadman here tonight but he can’t do that come Sunday!! He must come face to face with The Undertaker Sunday night in Wahsington!!

Tazz: Mind games to the max Cole. Orton’s been playin ‘em but The Undertaker is the master of the mind games and that right there just proves it. This one is gonna be absolutely off the charts come Sunday night, I can…not…wait.

Orton looks on at the Deadman, pointing at his head, saying to himself ‘It’s all up here, I am not afraid’ before Taker who has a stern look on his face then lets out a wry smile, realising that he HAS gotten to the Legend Killer here tonight.

We then cut away backstage once again and we see Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro backstage discussing something before the ever devilish Melina appears into shot, huffing and puffing, all three of their appearances draw a string of boos as the A-Listers, dressed casually, appear up to their scheming ways.


Johnny Nitro: Are you uh- are you alright? Where’ve you been?

Nitro is staring at Melina who doesn’t appear to be in the best of moods.

Melina: I’ve been trying to find him but he’s just…he’s just NOWHERE!! I’ve searched the arena from top to bottom and I can’t find him anywhere at all.

Mercury now stands up, concerned.

Joey Mercury: He’s…he’s gotta be here though, right? He still owes us, we gave him a LOT of money, that wasn’t a one off after all.

Melina: Hey, don’t you think I know that? I can’t find him, it’s as simple as that. He’s got the money and clearly…that’s all he was after.

Johnny Nitro: He can’t…he can’t just take our money and run!!

Melina: Well he has, so I don’t know what you want me to do abo…

?: Who has??

The trio’s faces then drop as Nitro now stands up, joining Mercury and Melina as we see ROB VAN DAM AND REY MYSTERIO APPEAR!!

Rob Van Dam: Well? Who’s taken your money and run huh?

Melina: W-what, what money? We don’t know what you’re talking about Rob so if you wouldn’t mind, we’ve uh, we’ve got business to attend to.

The trio go to depart but Rey wants to give them a few words.

Rey Mysterio: We heard everything you said Melina, you aren’t gonna get away with this!!

Melina puts her hand up as she continues walking off, Mercury and Nitro spin round, eyeing Van Dam and Mysterio up, realising they’ve got away with it here tonight…just.

Rob Van Dam: They can only run for so long Rey, the truth always…always... comes out.

There’s a look of frustration on the faces of both Van Dam and Mysterio here as MNM simply head off, having avoided spilling the beans there, Van Dam and Mysterio however, edging closer to the truth.

Commercials​

We return from the break and the theme of Summerslam is playing while we head to the announce desk as Michael Cole and Tazz get set to run down the line up.

Michael Cole: Welcome back to Friday Night Smackdown and folks we are just forty eight hours away from what will no doubt be a monumental night at Summerslam and a huge grudge match set for Sunday sees Matt Hardy defend his United States title against the man who spat in his face here tonight, Carlito.

Tazz: This thing’s got real heated, real fast and it’s gonna be a straight up collision course Sunday night. Hardy’s reign as champion hasn’t been a long one but Carlito poses a major threat come Summerslam. Big match for both of these men.

Michael Cole: A bitter, personal rivalry comes to an end this Sunday and so too may the career of Ric Flair as he goes one on one with Christian, knowing that a defeat at the hands of Captain Charisma will send him into retirement.

Tazz: The stakes are absolutely huge Cole but if anybody can deal wit’ that kinda pressure, wit’ that much at stake, it’s the Nature Boy.

Michael Cole: Also from Monday Night Raw, the Intercontiental Championship will be on the line as the leader of the Arabian Entity, Muhammad Hassan puts his title on the line against long time rival, Shelton Benjamin!

Tazz: Could steal the show this one. Hassan’s been dominant as champion but with Charlie Haas finally in his corner, the odds finally evened, Benjamin’s got a shot at winnin’ back that title Sunday night.

Michael Cole: Well still to come in our main event tonight, JBL will take on John Cena but this Sunday the Wall Street Warrior will have another challenge in order as he takes on the undefeated, unstoppable, Bobby Lashley!

Tazz: Huge test for both men in this thing Cole. Lashley’s not faced anybody quite like JBL yet and I’m betting JBL ain’t faced anyone like Bobby Lashley. Can’t wait for this baby.

Michael Cole: From the red brand, No Holds Barred, Mark Jindrak meets the Big Show.

Tazz: A chance for Mark Jindrak to once and for all knock Big Show off this Sunday night and what a way to do it, No Holds Barred. As brutal, as vicious as you can get. Big Show may just thrive in this environment come Summerslam.

Michael Cole: An eight man tag team match with huge consequences. The World Tag Team champions, the Dudley Boyz team with the Basham Brothers to take on Sonjay Dutt and Daivari who join forces with Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth. Whoever scores the winning pinfall will earn a tag team title shot for themselves. If the Dudleyz score the pinfall, they get to choose their next opponents.

Tazz: Four teams all gunnin’ for the same thing but they’ve gotta work together if they wanna earn it. I don’t know how these dudes are gonna co-operate Sunday night but they’re gonna have to.

Michael Cole: A match that may finally end the war. Randy Orton one on one with The Undertaker!!

Tazz: Orton and the Deadman, at each other’s throats since back at Wrestlemania. This Sunday night, it’s all or nothing for these two men. Orton wants to finish the Phenom, The Undertaker wants to put Orton in his place. It’s gonna be an insane showdown when we head to Washington Cole.

Michael Cole: Also from Monday Night Raw, the Money in the Bank contract is up for grabs. Edge and Chris Jericho have been feuding ever since Wrestlemania with the Rated R Superstar keen to show that he is the real deal, that it’s his time on top. Y2J though has other ideas.

Tazz: Both of these men have got a huge amount to prove on Sunday and that Money in the Bank contract raises the stakes even higher. That thing guarantees you a World title match whenever you want right up to Wrestlemania! Jericho’s gonna be gunnin’ for Edge Sunday night.

Michael Cole: And also from Raw, a combustible situation that is all set to explode. The World Heavyweight Championship. Batista defends against Kane with Shawn Michaels as the Special Guest Referee. Will Shawn Michaels do…the right thing?

Tazz: Depends what you believe the right thing is Cole. Does he count Batista down and save himself? Or does he count Kane down and feel the wrath of Eric Bischoff? I wouldn’t wanna be in his or Batista’s shoes come Summerslam, that’s for sure.

Michael Cole: Last but by no means least, the WWE Championship. John Cena, Kurt Angle, one on one this Sunday night. It’s the match we’ve all been waiting for and finally these two men will square off. Will Cena overcome the Wrestling Machine or will Kurt Angle prove his claims ring true?

Tazz: I ain’t got a clue Cole, all I know is it’s gonna be a rocket buster Sunday night when these two come face to face. These two men are gonna absolute tear each other apart at Summerslam, we’re in for a treat Sunday night I’m telling ya.

‘Longhorn’​

It’s immediate heat that greets the ever familiar music of the Wrestling God himself, John Bradshaw Layfield who comes out in his trademark limousine, white hat and black jacket on, sporting a wry smile.

Michael Cole: Well it indeed promises to be a HUGE night this Sunday at Summerslam but we are far from finished here tonight! We just mentioned that this man will go one on one with Bobby Lashley in two nights time, just how hard a task will JBL have to knock off the young powerhouse Tazz?

Tazz: A massive task for JBL Sunday night, ain’t no doubt about it, but Cole this man is a former WWE Champion, this man is the longest reigning WWE Champion in Smackdown history!! If anybody’s gonna get one over on Bobby Lashley it’s gonna be JBL.

‘My Time is Now’​

It’s a mammoth ovation that greets the WWE Champion as for the first time this evening John Cena shows his face, a fired up, determined look on his face as he looks to put away his old rival here tonight.

Michael Cole: And would you listen to this ovation for the WWE Champion!! Sunday night it gets NO bigger than John Cena going one on one with Kurt Angle for that WWE Championship. Cena knows it’ll be his toughest test to date Tazz but it’s a challenge he is relishing.

Tazz: Ain’t no doubt about it Cole. Cena’s had his issues wit’ the man he faces tonight but when it comes down to Sunday night, it’s a whole different ball game. Angle’s called Cena out, time and again, he’s claimed Cena’s afraid, that Cena’s scared but I know John Cena and I know he’s gonna wanna put those claims to rest at Summerslam. It’s gonna be off the charts.

Match Five: Singles Match

John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s a cagey opening as these two long time rivals try to outwit one another, they know each other inside out and it’s a game of cat and mouse, from Bradshaw especially as he uses the ropes to force the referee to order Cena away from him which is met with a wry smile from the WWE Champion.

We finally get going after around a minute of stalling and it’s Layfield who’s plan seems to work as he catches Cena off guard with a strong knee to the gut, doubling the champ over before the Wall Street Warrior goes to town with an array of clubbing right hands across the lower back. Cena is now down and JBL wastes little time in literally putting the boot in as he stomps the hell out of Cena, the New York faithful on Bradshaw’s back as he tells them all to ‘Shut your damn mouths’ before another boot to the chest of Cena.

Bradshaw continues to work Cena over, dropping several knees onto the chest of the WWE Champion before he drops down to Cena’s fallen body and begins to unload with some devastating right hands, the official giving JBL to the count of five before he finally breaks it, delivering a deathly glare at the referee as he picks himself up and drags Cena up also, smashing him with a forearm. JBL continues to look to be on the front foot, Irish whip to Cena who smashes into the turnbuckle, JBL now comes a charging but Cena sidesteps him and Layfield crashes into the turnbuckle!!

Cena now gets the upper hand as he immediately, although somewhat groggily, gets right on JBL’s tail, fast paced right hands from Cena here and the WWE Champ is firing on all cylinders as he lets a roar out to the crowd. Cena now with an Irish whip of his own and JBL smashes into the opposite corner, he rebounds right out though, the impact evident, right into Cena’s path and Cena smashes him down with a HUGE clothesline!!

The Doctor of Thuganomics immediately scoops Layfield up and goes back to work with some quick right hands, forcing Layfield into the ropes before another Irish whip and JBL rebounds right into a big hip toss from Cena!! JBL goes flying but wisely, very wisely, he manages to roll out of the ring, taking a breather on the outside as he clutches his lower back, Cena heading to the outside after him.

JBL is now to his knees as Cena hops off the apron and the champion goes to grab JBL by the hair but JBL with an elbow to the gut!! And another as Bradshaw’s wits seem to have worked as he bought himself some time and now he uses the barricade to draw himself up, Cena doubled over and JBL with a big boot to the gut before a THUNDEROUS Irish whip as Cena smashes into the barricade!! Huge impact there as Bradshaw puts himself right back in this contest, Cena now down and out as the New York crowd boo the ‘Wrestling God’.

JBL takes a little breather again before plodding over towards Cena, eyeing him up and down before he literally puts the boot in on his opponent, choking Cena with a boot to the throat as the referee’s countout has reached five and a bit, Layfield clearly not caring as he finally lets up before stomping the hell out of Cena’s head with a venomous shot. Bradshaw then drags Cena to his feet before tossing him back inside the ring, scowling at the New York faithful as he follows behind and he rolls Cena over into a cover, 1...2...kick out at two from Cena but Tazz mentions it’s smart from JBL in making Cena use every ounce of effort he has to kick out.

Bradshaw cuts a frustrated look before he decides to try and wear down Cena all the more as he locks the leader of the Chain Gang into a Sleeper hold, applying real force in the hold as he looks to drain Cena here. The crowd though are giving it all they have to will Cena to his feet as the referee begins to check on the WWE Champion. Cena appears to be struggling somewhat, his cheeks turned pink now as Bradshaw really cinches it in, the referee now raising Cena’s arm up high…and it drops. The crowd are still urging Cena on as the referee raises his arm a second time…and AGAIN it drops. Cena in a world of trouble now as the referee goes for the arm, a third and final time he raises it…and CENA FIGHTS IT!! Cena refuses to let it drop and the effort in his face is evident as he SHOWS INCREDIBLE STRENGTH TO PICK HIMSELF UP AND JBL IS ON HIS BACK!! WOW!! The crowd can’t believe it as Cena has JBL up high and manages to toss Bradshaw off of him!!

JBL is quickly back up though, he charges at Cena but the champion sees him coming and DROPS HIM WITH A SPINNING SIDE SLAM!! JBL in a world of trouble now as Cena has turned the tide and he runs the ropes, stops dead in his tracks, FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE!! CONNECTS!! Cena now steadies himself, JBL returning slowly to his feet, he’s getting there…he’s up, he spins round, FU!! NO!! JBL rolls out the back of it and he ROLLS OUT THE RING!! BRADHSAW IS LEAVING!! The fans are booing the hell out of the Wall Street Warrior here as he backs up the ramp, wagging his finger saying ‘No’ but the boos soon turn to cheers as we see BOBBY LASHLEY STORM FROM THE BACK AND HE GRABS JBL, SPRINTING DOWN THE RAMP AND TOSSES JBL BACK INSIDE THE RING!!

Lashley assisting Cena here as the champion awaits his prey, JBL enters the cauldron, FU!! FU TO JBL!! Lashley has a wry smirk on his face as Cena rolls him into the cover, 1...2...3...HE GOT HIM!!


Winner: John Cena(10:17)

Michael Cole: John Cena victorious!! A huge win for the WWE Champion as he heads to Washington this Sunday!!

Tazz: Hey, he can thank Bobby Lashley for the assist later but that’s a heck of a win for John Cena right there. The momentum is wit’ the champ come Sunday, that’s for sure. I think Cena’s gonna be ready, he’s gonna be prepared for everything that Kurt Ang…HEY!!

No he’s not as Cena is ambushed from behind by KURT ANGLE!! Angle comes through the crowd and clubs Cena from behind and now there’s an assault, Angle stomping the holy hell out of Cena here BEFORE GOING RIGHT FOR THE ANKLE!!! ANKLE LOCK TO CENA!!

Michael Cole: What the hell is Kurt Angle doing?! Kurt Angle taking the coward’s way out!! Kurt Angle wanted to go face to face, man to man with John Cena and now he’s…now he’s attacking him from behind AGAIN!!

Tazz: It’s all mind games Cole, Angle’s inside Cena’s head and come Sunday this is all gonna work in the Wrestlin’ Machine’s favour.

Angle continues to wrench the hold in before FINALLY stopping as Cena rolls around in agony, his ankle played around with like a toy from Kurt Angle here who has the broadest of smiles on his face as he stares down his work here tonight, a broken down WWE Champion before Angle drops down to Cena’s level, getting in the WWE Champion’s face as the boos continue to ring round the arena. Angle eyes up Cena before simply stating ‘Face….to Face’ and letting out a twisted laugh before getting to his feet and roaring to the crowd.

Michael Cole: Well in just forty eight hours it WILL be face to face!! It will be man to man!! Kurt Angle will have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide this Sunday night. Will the Olympic Gold Medalist prove he really is the true champion? Or will the Doctor of Thuganomics overcome this obstacle, will he overcome the Wrestling Machine? It’s Angle versus Cena for the WWE Championship at Summerslam, you won‘t wanna miss it!!

Date: 21st August 2005
Location: Washington DC

World Heavyweight Championship:
Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
Batista(c) vs Kane

WWE Championship:
John Cena(c) vs Kurt Angle

If Ric Flair loses, he must retire:
Christian w/Tomko vs Ric Flair

Randy Orton vs The Undertaker

WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Muhammad Hassan(c) vs Shelton Benjamin

Money in the Bank Contract:
Edge vs Chris Jericho

WWE United States Championship:
Matt Hardy(c) vs Carlito

8 Man Tag Team Match:
The Dudley Boyz and The Basham Brothers vs Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari; The Arabian Entity

John Bradshaw Layfield vs Bobby Lashley

No Holds Barred Match:
Mark Jindrak w/William Regal vs Big Show​


This is a lot later than i had anticipated posting but i've had LOADS of problems with my laptop. I actually lost this entire show as well as my entire Summerslam. THANKFULLY Summerslam was saved in an email, however Smackdown wasn't so lucky. Therefore this is a complete rewrite and if it's a little short or not up to standard then that'd explain why.

For those of you who i usually feedback, my laptop problems are the reason why i haven't reviewed yet however i will get round to you all soon. As far as this thing goes, Summerslam is DONE bar one or two video packages. I would expect to post a preview sometime soon depending on my laptop being kind to me. Until then, hope all are well and all feedback would be great. Cheers.
 
#172 ·
WWE Summerslam
Date: 21st August 2005
Location: MCI Center, Washington; DC​







The World Heavyweight Championship has been in the grasp of the Animal ever since Wrestlemania as Batista has conquered all who’ve challenged him. This Sunday night at Summerslam however, a whole new challenge awaits the champion and one man lays at the centre of it all, the Raw General Manager, Eric Bischoff.

Following Wrestlemania Eric Bischoff had to deal with Shawn Michaels continually asking him for a rematch with Kurt Angle, only for the GM to ignore his pleas, stating that he would not allow Michaels to Smackdown for business reasons. This only infuriated the Showstopper who went on to attack Bischoff, dishing out a dose of Sweet Chin Music on more than one occasion. Michaels finally gave up hope, instead turning his attentions to the World title, only for Bischoff to again deny his pleas which led to a huge match at Vengeance where Michaels would face a representative of Eric Bischoff where if Michaels won he would receive a World Heavyweight Title shot. However if Michaels lost? He would become the property of Eric Bischoff. Bischoff’s representative? None other than the Big Red Machine, Kane.

Kane would go on to defeat Michaels in a gruelling match, leaving the Heartbreak Kid in turmoil as he became contracted to Raw’s egomaniac General Manager. The night after Vengeance Bischoff stated that with Michaels now on board he needed to rid Raw of its next problem and that problem was Batista. This led to a shocking conclusion to Raw which saw Kane demolish the Animal before being rewarded for his won over Shawn Michaels with a World title match at Summerslam only…with a twist. Shawn Michaels was named Special Guest Referee.

With Michaels stuck in no man’s land, not wanting to do Eric Bischoff’s dirty work it has been a rollercoaster ride for all three men involved come Sunday with Bischoff demanding that Michaels do ‘the right thing’ come August 21st and count Batista down. If he doesn’t? If he doesn’t then Michaels career may indeed be over. Batista knows his fate may not even be in his control come Sunday and the Animal has warned Michaels to stay out of his business. Will Michaels do the honourable thing and call it how he sees it? Or will Eric Bischoff brainwash Michaels to do the unthinkable? We know that Batista and Kane are going to tear one another apart this Sunday night but will they be the ones in the spotlight come Summerslam’s close or will it be the man in the middle who takes centre stage?




At Wrestlemania John Cena achieved his ultimate goal, achieved his boyhood dream when he became the new WWE Champion. But Cena wasn’t the only one to have a night to remember at Wrestlemania as Kurt Angle managed to defeat the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels in a Wrestlemania classic. Since then both men have been seemingly unstoppable with Cena fending off challenger after challenger whilst Angle has continued on his same ruthless, intense path with only one thing in mind, the WWE Championship.

For months Angle has claimed that John Cena is running scared of him, that Cena is afraid of facing him and that he knows if the two of them meet for the WWE Championship, Angle would take the gold. Well here we are, August 21st and we will find out exactly whether or not Angle’s claims ring true. The champion has claimed that he will never back down from a challenge and will take on any and all comers to his title, with some wondering if Angle’s claims are simply mind games? Cena has been relentless in telling Angle that if ‘he wants some, he can come get some’ but Angle has refused with the Olympic Gold Medalist continuing to frustrate the leader of the ‘Chain Gang’, even attacking Cena from behind on more than one occasion.

Cena has claimed that Angle is a ‘coward’ and his sneak attacks go to prove it. Well this past Friday on Smackdown it was another cheap ambush from Angle that laid Cena out in the centre of the ring. At Summerslam will Angle’s mind games have worked to a tee? Or will John Cena gain revenge and once again prove that the champ is very much here?




Sixteen times a World Champion, the ‘Dirtiest Player in the Game’, the ‘Nature Boy’, the one and only Ric Flair is in for quite possibly the biggest match of his entire life come Sunday night as he takes on Captain Charisma, Christian knowing that defeat will mean the end of his long, illustrious career.

Back at Vengeance Christian defeated Flair, shocking everybody to get one over on Naitch, proclaiming that Flair was taking his spotlight, that it was time for a new generation to shine and that generation’s leader was himself. The following night on Raw, Flair demanded a rematch with the cocky Canadian, stating that although retirement was something he’d been considering, there was no way he was gonna go out like that. Christian however refused, claiming that there was nothing in it for him, that he’d done all he needed to do. Well, Flair didn’t see it that way.

The Nature Boy went on one of his infamous rambles, demanding Christian face him one more time at Summerslam, the stipulation being if he loses? He would retire for good. Christian’s eyes lit up there and then and the challenge was accepted with Captain Charisma intent on ending Flair’s career. Since that night this rivalry has become heated like no other with so much riding on when we head to Washington.

Christian has continued to try and make Flair as riled, as confrontational, as volatile as possible, attacking Flair’s long time friend Arn Anderson in despicable fashion as well as invading Flair’s home town of Charlotte before disgustingly berating children for looking up to Ric Flair. The arrogant loudmouth then went one further this past Monday on Raw as he even brought Flair’s children into this whole saga, verbally assaulting Flair for not being there for his kids. Flair has lost his cool on more than one occasion, desperate to teach Christian a lesson, desperate to teach him some respect. Well this Sunday, all the anger, all the hurt, all the pain Christian has inflicted on Flair will look to be avenged as the Nature Boy heads to Washington with Captain Charisma in his sights on what will no doubt be a turbulent, emotional night in our nation’s capital for all involved.

Will Flair get his fairytale moment come Sunday? Will the Nature Boy finally get payback, finally put a stop to Christian’s deplorable actions? Or will it all come crashing down for the Sixteen time World Champion? Will we see Christian score the biggest win of his career? Will the new generation truly begin at Summerslam?




Going into Wrestlemania Randy Orton was hell bent on one thing, being the man to end ‘The Streak. Orton went into the event hoping to end The Undertaker’s undefeated Wrestlemania streak, desperate to keep up his ‘Legend Killer’ moniker. Orton however was unsuccessful as the Deadman yet again came out on top, cementing his ‘Mania legacy.

Since then Orton hasn’t stopped however, he has remained relentless in being the man to end the career of The Undertaker and this Sunday at Summerslam he believes the time has come. At Judgment Day Orton finally did get one over on the Phenom, defeating him thanks to the use of a Steel Chair but that simply wasn’t enough for the former World Champion who simply will not settle until he has once and for all finished off the Demon of Death Valley.

Orton claims he is not afraid, that he is not at all fearful of The Undertaker’s mind games, of his presence and that this Sunday he will prove it when he finishes the job he started. But this past Friday on Smackdown the Deadman made a valid point, you cannot kill…what’s already dead. Will that statement echo round Orton’s mind as he heads to Washington? Or will the Legend Killer accomplish what so many have tried and failed, will he kill off The Undertaker?




The first ever Money in the Bank match took place at Wrestlemania and the man who left with the briefcase was none other than the Rated R Superstar, Edge. Guaranteeing himself a World Title opportunity any time twelve months from that point, Edge has been cocky as ever in stating that fact but one man who has not taken too kindly to Edge’s actions are Y2J, Chris Jericho.

Jericho himself had a title opportunity at Backlash, coming up short due to the interference of Edge, the Money in the Bank holder trying there and then to cash in his opportunity. Jericho was of course seething and set about getting his hands on his fellow Canadian, which lead to a big grudge match at Vengeance in which Jericho scored the victory, rolling up Edge for the three count. Edge didn’t take to the defeat well, claiming Jericho was simply stuck in the past, that he’s never accomplished anything except a ‘fluke’ reign as Undisputed Champion. Jericho of course took exception, claiming that he’d at least won a World title, stating that Edge had never amounted to anything, that all he was is a Chris Jericho wannabe who was relying on that briefcase.

The key element come Sunday is the fact that these two will indeed do battle for Edge’s Money in the Bank contract. Jericho has claimed without that contract, Edge’s career will never amount to anything, that he will never become a World Champion without it. One thing’s for sure, the outcome of Sunday’s match could have enormous consequences for both Edge and Jericho. If Edge loses, will it indeed spell the end of his title aspirations? If Jericho loses, does it spell the end of him ever sniffing a World Title again? There is so much at stake come Sunday night, who will leave Washington as Mr.Money in the Bank?




Matt Hardy finally proved he could win the big one on his own at The Great American Bash as he defeated Orlando Jordan to become United States Champion. Since then one man has had him in his sights and that man is the Apple Spitter, Carlito.

Despite this feud only really beginning in the last month or so, it has got very heated, very quickly. Carlito has been quick to refer back to Matt Hardy’s past, stating that his brother Jeff was always the star and that Matt was never cut out to make it to the top. Hardy however hit back, claiming that Carlito WAS cut out to be a star, that the pressure’s been on him ever since he set foot in the WWE but Lito has failed to live up to the hype and that Lito has failed to live up to his father’s name.

Of course with both men’s families getting involved things have turned incredibly sour between the two men with them both trying to one up each other and this past Friday night Carlito sickeningly ambushed Hardy before spitting apple in the champion’s face. Lito claimed that when Hardy spoke about his father, he spat in his face. This past Friday he claimed he returned the favour. This Sunday these two will no doubt be desperate to prove they are far from a failure and that they are indeed on the road to superstardom. The question on everybody’s lips though is, who will be that man?




At Backlash Muhammad Hassan became the Intercontiental Champion, defeating Shelton Benjamin thanks to the formation of his Arabian Entity. Since then Hassan and the Entity have continued to use the number’s game to their advantage, dominating Shelton who despite the arrival of his partner Charlie Haas, has been unable to get the better of the wily quartet.

This Sunday however, Benjamin will get one more shot, one more attempt at taking back the title he believes he deserves. However there are several people, Muhammad Hassan included who believe he doesn’t deserve it, instead his partner should be the one getting the title opportunity after Charlie Haas defeated Hassan to earn Benjamin this opportunity. When questioned Haas simply said that he was only concentrating on being a team again with Shelton, claming that getting Shelton a final shot at the Intercontinental Title back would mean getting the World’s Greatest Tag Team back.

Hassan has had Benjamin’s number time and again but Haas is the man he has yet to conquer. Will the story be the same this Sunday? Will Charlie Haas again come to his partner’s aid in fending off the champion and his army? Or will disaster strike and Shelton Benjamin once again fail to overcome the Entity’s leader? Will Hassan reign supreme again at Summerslam?




Since losing the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania, JBL’s fortunes have gone from bad to worse with the ‘Wrestling God’ suffering defeat after defeat in his quest return to the top of the mountain. Deciding enough is enough, JBL decided to take matters into his own hands and shocked everybody by assaulting a man who has had quite the opposite direction to the ‘Wall Street Warrior’, the undefeated, unstoppable, Bobby Lashley.

Lashley has made a tremendous impact since his debut back in May, steamrolling everybody in his path but this Sunday he takes on quite possibly his toughest test to date when he faces the former WWE Champion on one of the biggest stages yet in his young career. JBL believes that a victory over this powerhouse will propel him back up the ladder and back into contention for the WWE Championship. Victory though won’t be an easy task and if Lashley comes out on top, could the relative rookie be on his way towards the biggest prize on Friday nights? All that’s certain is that when these two collide it will be nothing more than a straight up fight on Sunday night.




The Dudley Boyz returned at Backlash and returned in some style, capturing the World Tag Team Championships. But since then it’s backs against the wall stuff from the masters of the 3D as they’ve had to fight off the challenges of not one, not two but three teams and this Sunday all four will meet in a high stakes battle.

Two of their recent rivals will shockingly be on the Dudleyz same team as the Bashams team with the tag team champions to take on the Arabian Entity duo of Sonjay Dutt and Daivari who in turn join forces with the Platform to Perfection, Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth. The stipulation for this huge showdown is that whoever scores the winning pinfall will earn themselves a title shot against the Dudleyz. However, if the Dudleyz are victorious they will choose their next opponents. With the stakes so high, you have to wonder just how these men are going to all get along with their team mates on Sunday night. Can the Dudleyz come out on top despite all the odds stacked against them? Will their challengers be able to co exist in such a high pressure environment? Who will it be that heads into Unforgiven in pole position for striking down the veteran champions?




The final match on the Summerslam card is certainly not for the feint hearted as it will be a brutal No Holds Barred contest between ‘The Protégé’ Mark Jindrak and the World’s Largest Athlete, Big Show. Ever since aligning himself with William Regal, Jindrak has been unstoppable, taking on any and all comers, targeting Big Show in particularly as somebody to really make a statement with and it’s a statement he has certainly made with Jindrak defeating the giant on more than one occasion. This Sunday however, it’s an environment Jindrak won’t have faced before, an angry giant with weapons at his disposal.

Big Show was seriously considering walking away from the WWE, citing a lack of motivation, a lack of new challenges, that was until Jindrak stepped on the scene and since then Show’s motivation seems to have returned with the cocky youngster continuing to get under the giant’s skin along with his mentor William Regal. This Sunday is Show’s final chance to finally get his hands on Jindrak and give him the beating many feel he deserves. Will Jindrak once again stand tall and conquer the former WWE Champion? Or will Show finally take revenge and put the wily Englishman along with his monster Protégé in their place?


Prediction Template:

World Heavyweight Championship:
Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
Batista(c) vs Kane

WWE Championship:
John Cena(c) vs Kurt Angle

If Ric Flair loses, he must retire:
Christian w/Tomko vs Ric Flair

Randy Orton vs The Undertaker

Money in the Bank Contract:
Edge vs Chris Jericho

WWE United States Championship:
Matt Hardy(c) vs Carlito

WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Muhammad Hassan(c) vs Shelton Benjamin

John Bradshaw Layfield vs Bobby Lashley

8 Man Tag Team Match:
The Dudley Boyz and The Basham Brothers vs Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari; The Arabian Entity

No Holds Barred Match:
Mark Jindrak w/William Regal vs Big Show



Bonus Questions:

1) What will be the match order?
2) How many championships will change hands?
3) Who will take the fall in the 8 Man Tag Team Match?
4) What will be the longest match?
5) What will be the shortest match
?


Massive, MASSIVE thanks to Starbuck for the match banners as well as the poster, all of them are awesome. Hope all are looking forward to this, I sure am looking forward to posting! Should be up in the next week or two. Until then, predict away…
 
#173 ·
10. World Heavyweight Championship:
Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
Batista(c) vs Kane

Winner: Kane

8. WWE Championship:
John Cena(c) vs Kurt Angle

Winner: John Cena

9. If Ric Flair loses, he must retire:
Christian w/Tomko vs Ric Flair

Winner: Christian

6. Randy Orton vs The Undertaker

Winner: Randy Orton

7. Money in the Bank Contract:
Edge vs Chris Jericho

Winner: Edge

2. WWE United States Championship:
Matt Hardy(c) vs Carlito

Winner: Carlito

5. WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Muhammad Hassan(c) vs Shelton Benjamin

Winner: Hassan

3. John Bradshaw Layfield vs Bobby Lashley

Winner: Bobby Lashley

1. 8Man Tag Team Match:
The Dudley Boyz and The Basham Brothers vs Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari; The Arabian Entity

Winners: Dudleyz and Bashams

4. No Holds Barred Match:
Mark Jindrak w/William Regal vs Big Show

Winner: Jindrak


Bonus Questions:

1) What will be the match order?: Done
2) How many championships will change hands?: Done
3) Who will take the fall in the 8 Man Tag Team Match?: Daivari
4) What will be the longest match?: Angle/Cena
5) Shortest match?: JBL/Lashley
 
#174 ·
10. World Heavyweight Championship:
Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
Batista(c) vs Kane

Can't see Kane as champion and don't see Batista losing in his hometown no less. He will feud with Michaels at the end of this.

9. WWE Championship:
John Cena(c) vs Kurt Angle

Cena finally shuts Angle the hell up and truly sets him up as a worthy champion over a legend like Angle.

8. If Ric Flair loses, he must retire:
Christian w/Tomko vs Ric Flair

Christian is NOWHERE NEAR deserving to end Ric Flair. I'll admit, it would do wonders, but Flair still has a BIT of life left at this point.

5. Randy Orton vs The Undertaker

I predict Orton/Cena feud after this with maybe Orton taking out the Deadman.

6. Money in the Bank Contract:
Edge vs Chris Jericho

Jericho doesn't need the MITB to be a main eventer while Edge continues his rise to the top.

3. WWE United States Championship:
Matt Hardy(c) vs Carlito

No brainer to me. Hardy JUST won the belt and losing will DESTROY his momentum entirely. I see Carlito attacking him after the match to continue the feud.

2. WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Muhammad Hassan(c) vs Shelton Benjamin

Should solidify Hassan as a decent IC champion. Maybe feuding with Big Show after this.

1. John Bradshaw Layfield vs Bobby Lashley

Win that REALLY get's Lashley over. Lashey= BEAST!

4. 8 Man Tag Team Match:
The Dudley Boyz and The Basham Brothers vs Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari; The Arabian Entity

I see the Platform vs Dudleyz at Unforgiven.

7. No Holds Barred Match:
Mark Jindrak w/William Regal vs Big Show


Big Show get's his revenge and maybe feuds with Hassan against the entire Entity by himself.

Bonus Questions:

1) What will be the match order? Done
2) How many championships will change hands? None.
3) Who will take the fall in the 8 Man Tag Team Match? Dudley Boyz
4) What will be the longest match? Flair vs Christian
5) What will be the shortest match? 8 Man Tag Match
 
#175 ·
Sucked that you lost the show the first time mate, and even though we've not had the chance to chat properly lately I know that you know I was looking forward to this :lmao Also thanks a lot for the NOC feedback mate!(Y)

Surprised that this match kicked off the go home show to Summerslam, would have certainly expected to see something to do with Summerslam kicking things off, but this match was always going to be chaotic and a nice way to get the crowd into the show. Having Rhyno get DQ to lose the first fall after Booker had been in control for the most part of the match thus far and then to use the damage done on Booker with the chair to win the second fall was typical "Heel in a 2/3 Falls Match" tactics that is always going to come back to kick them in the face, which it did here; Booking 101. I like that in the third fall every time Booker was able to mount some offence in Rhyno was right there, and picturing that flying clothesline from Rhyno was pretty awesome, wouldn't like to get in the way of that. The end seemed a little rushed but that was the only gripe about this match for me really. Booker winning was the right choice for sure, and he can now move on and possibly feud with the likes of JBL/Carlito post Summerslam maybe? I'm sure you have something planned for both of these guys and I'm just as sure that I'm gonna like it.

Really strong Orton interview here, and I like the way he's excused his actions by saying that its actual not him being scared of Taker. You got the character of 2005 Orton down great here, and I'm looking forward to this match at Summerslam... I do hope it is actually the end for Orton/Taker, because we saw it irl that it went all the way to Armageddon, but I'd much rather see Orton take the title from Cena after Summerslam.

Quite a funny little exchange between Kurt and JBL here :lmao Seems like you're setting Jibbles up for a fall tonight.

I know that you've not made them into a team in this BTB, but seeing London and Kendrick together here was a pretty cool moment for me because they used to be my favourite team when I was a bit younger. Also great for Kendrick to be getting involved in this Cruiserweight Title situation as he's now like the #4 cruiserweight you have, and it is always good to make the division more competitive. Good move with Helms going against what we'd usually see in a cruiserweight match with a Sleeper Hold, nice little touch there. Also with Helms hightailing it I wonder what Chavo's response is going to be as Helms has just stabbed him in the back. The pin fall for London was needed and I'm glad you made the right move and let him have the pin.

Great to see the investigation still going on and not the RVD heel turn; nice that Rey is now on the same page as Rob.

Nice match here to give Angle a tune up match, would have like to have seen it go on for a little longer to really give Matt a chance to showcase himself a little more, but he did almost have Angle beat which is good. But the clean win was definitely needed for Angle ahead of his match with Cena. Awesome stuff from Carlito after the match, and in a way I'm hoping that Hardy is playing the transitional champion for Carlito to take the gold at Summerslam, because I personally see a lot more routes to go down that would be more entertaining with Lito as champion. The show of disrespect was great to see there, and I think the apple may come into play at Summerslam, too. The interview afterwards justifying his actions was great too; perfecttly captured his viewpoint and thought trail about the disrespect, and I do think it would be cool for him to win at Summerslam.

Hardcore Holly on jobbing duty once again :lmao Convincing, easy win for Orton there. I'm never really a fan of Undertaker talking; he's the kind of Superstar that doesn't even need to talk but I get why it is necessary.:lmao at Orton getting scared, and not the note he'll want to be heading into Summerslam on.

YES! Really pleased to see that Rey now fully believe RVD, and I'm also interested to find out who is going to be this person that's taken their money. Great storyline you have brewing here, and it is escalating nicely week after week without taking up too much time to allow the Summerslam stuff to take centre stage.

Big time main event here, and the matches you've done with these two previously have been awesome so you can understand I was psyched for this main event. JBL starting off the aggressor was good to see and that comes from the conversation with Angle as well as his history with Cena. Lashley getting involved here was a good and needed touch as we'd not seen him at all in this show so far, and a nice little rub to be involved with the WWE Champion in some capacity. Angle coming though the crowd I saw happening, but only because you did the same thing with Hardy and Carlito, so maybe try to avoid that repetition in the same show in the future. But I won't let that detract from the actual aftermath with Angle on top. I was thinking "What the fuck is Lashley doing at this point? Why isn't he helping?" I assumed that he had left after he rolled JBL into the ring but some clarification on that would have been nice.

Overall a good show to tie up some loose ends ahead of Summerslam, which is what the go home show is for after all. A little disappointed not to see anything from Cryme Tyme, but a good show nonetheless. Glad you've finally made it here buddy, and I hope that that pesky laptop holds up in the future! Well played buddy, you're finally there (Y) <3
 
#176 ·
9. World Heavyweight Championship:
Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
Batista(c) vs Kane

10. WWE Championship:
John Cena(c) vs Kurt Angle

8. If Ric Flair loses, he must retire:
Christian w/Tomko vs Ric Flair

7. Randy Orton vs The Undertaker

4. Money in the Bank Contract:
Edge vs Chris Jericho

1. WWE United States Championship:
Matt Hardy(c) vs Carlito

3. WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Muhammad Hassan(c) vs Shelton Benjamin

2. John Bradshaw Layfield vs Bobby Lashley

5. 8 Man Tag Team Match:
The Dudley Boyz and The Basham Brothers vs Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari; The Arabian Entity

6. No Holds Barred Match:
Mark Jindrak w/William Regal vs Big Show


Bonus Questions:

1) What will be the match order? Yip.
2) How many championships will change hands? Two.
3) Who will take the fall in the 8 Man Tag Team Match? One of the Bashams. Doug I guess.
4) What will be the longest match? Cena/Angle
5) What will be the shortest match? Eight Man Tag

Show's lookin' mighty fine, card is stacked. Expect a review once it's posted amigo. (Y)
 
#177 ·
Prediction Template:

World Heavyweight Championship:
Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
Batista(c) vs Kane

WWE Championship:
John Cena(c) vs Kurt Angle

If Ric Flair loses, he must retire:
Christian w/Tomko vs Ric Flair

Randy Orton vs The Undertaker

Money in the Bank Contract:
Edge vs Chris Jericho

WWE United States Championship:
Matt Hardy(c) vs Carlito

WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Muhammad Hassan(c) vs Shelton Benjamin

John Bradshaw Layfield vs Bobby Lashley

8 Man Tag Team Match:
The Dudley Boyz and The Basham Brothers vs Ken Doane and Nick Nemeth; The Platform to Perfection and Sonjay Dutt and Daivari; The Arabian Entity

No Holds Barred Match:
Mark Jindrak w/William Regal vs Big Show



Bonus Questions:

1) What will be the match order?
OPENER = 8-MEN TAG
2ND = MITB CONTRACT
3RD = US TITLE
4TH = NO DQ
5TH = ORTON VS TAKER
6TH = IC TITLE
7TH = CHRISTIAN VS FLAIR
8TH = WWE TITLE
9TH = JBL Vs LASHLEY
10TH = WORLD TITLE
2) How many championships will change hands? 1
3) Who will take the fall in the 8 Man Tag Team Match? Danny Basham
4) What will be the longest match? ANGLE VS CENA
5) What will be the shortest match? No DQ
?[/CENTER]
 
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